A Watchmaking Blockbuster

An exhibition of epic proportions will land on our shores this month – a tribute by Swiss watch manufacture Patek Philippe to Singapore’s bicentennial celebrations. Grace Tay gets the inside story

- Grace Tay

There’s nothing like a major milestone anniversary to initiate a retrospective, and Patek Philippe is marking Singapore’s bicentennial with a literal look back in time. As our young nation marks 200 years since Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival on our shores, the Swiss watchmaker has selected Singapore as the host country for the fifth installment of its Watch Art Grand Exhibition later this month.

This is a nod to Singapore and South-East Asia’s importance to the Maison, both as a market and in recognition of the region’s high appreciation for fine mechanical watchmaking, says Deepa Chatrath, General Manager of Geneva Master Time Marketing, the sole distributor in the region. “Grand Exhibitions are when the brand steps out of Geneva with all the key assets that make Patek Philippe what it is. It is the Genevan tradition of mechanical watchmaking to make watches that are not only accurate, complicated or the slimmest, but also with an artisanal level that is very, very high.”

The Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore promises to be quite the extravaganza. Held over 16 days (Sep 28 to Oct 13) and spread over 1,800sqm, it will feature 10 themed rooms, each with a unique set-up, that will take over – in an interesting choice – not a convention hall in Marina Bay Sands but the Theatre, extending even into the vast backstage area.

Fans of Patek Philippe would probably know from attending or reading about the four previous editions (in Dubai in 2012, followed by Munich in 2013, London in 2015 and New York in 2017) that this exhibition is the stuff of legend. Besides a full line-up of Patek Philippe creations both antique and contemporary, right up to rarely seen super complications, the people and processes behind their creation will be in attendance too. Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe, will personally attend.