A Grand Vision

Marking its 180th anniversary this year, Patek Philippe celebrates nearly two centuries of forward-looking creativity – and holds its biggest show yet.

For two decades, Patek Philippe’s famous slogan has conveyed that you never actually own one of its watches, you merely look after it for the next generation. The same might be said of the savoir faire, both technical and aesthetic, that the independent Swiss brand has been transmitting for nearly two centuries – thanks to its unremitting dedication to creating timepieces that are elegant, useful and forward-looking.

Consider, for instance, Patek Philippe’s 2019 novelty, the Alarm Travel Time Ref. 5520P. Mechanical watches with an alarm function are relatively uncommon and, in most cases, their harsh buzzing sounds are not what you would want to wake up to in the morning, or hear right before an important meeting. Ref. 5520P combines the brand’s dual-time complication with a 24-hour alarm mechanism featuring the dulcet tones of a hammer and gong, minute repeater-style.

Aside from turning a jarring alarm into a soothing rousing experience, the platinum watch is also designed with the greatest practicality in mind, with locking mechanisms that protect it from damage that might arise from accidental mishandling. Having taken five years to develop, the Ref. 5520P features a new, integrated movement with four patents – just a handful among the more than 100 patents that Patek Philippe has been awarded since its beginnings in 1839, when Polish emigrants Antoine Norbert de Patek and Francois Czapek founded Patek, Czapek & Cie in Geneva.

As Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe and the fourth-generation Stern family member to head the company since the family bought the brand in 1932, once told The Peak: “Patek has always had the same strategy – to make the finest watches in the world. We have about 200 different products, ranging from classical to sporty models, but always done to the highest level of aesthetics and technology.”