Madam Connoisseur

For as long as Patek Philippe has been in business, the company has always cared for what women want

- Celine Yap

This might come as a surprise, but some of Patek Philippe’s earliest fans were actually women. Long before Patek even met Philippe, the company then known as Patek, Czapek & Cie was already making timepieces for women. One of the oldest known watches signed ‘Patek’ is an elegant small pocket watch decorated with miniature engraving, sold to a Princess Zubów of Russia in 1839, the year the company was founded.

According to Patek Philippe’s archives, women in the 19th century wore timepieces very prominently, although the watch dials were often concealed. Chatelaine-style watches were popular with the aristocratic set, as were secret watches designed as brooches, bracelets or rings, often elaborately decorated with miniature painting or engraving.

It would appear that women from the European courts were among Patek Philippe’s first royal customers. Queens, duchesses, and princesses commissioned special pieces as gifts for their significant other – or themselves.

In 1850, the Grand Duchess Catherine of Russia purchased a Patek Philippe pocket watch. A year later, Queen Victoria of England followed suit with a sky blue enamel pendant watch decorated with rose-cut diamonds from the company at the Great Exhibition in London. This was on top of the keyless winding pocket watch gifted to her by the brand founders.

Queen Maria Pia of Portugal, too, was a regular customer, while Louise, Queen of Denmark, ordered a beautiful gold pocket watch in 1867 decorated with the royal Danish coat of arms and her portrait to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her marriage to King Christian IX. Patek Philippe also made a watch for Luisa Ferdinand of Spain which had a painting of the Spanish royal coat of arms over the back. All of these and more can be seen at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.

LADY OF THE HOUR