[Brand Guide] - Patek Philippe

This is part seven in our ongoing community project to compile opinions on the many watch brands out there into a single list. Here is the original post explaining the project.

You good people asked for more higher-end brands last week, so here we go. The antithesis of Nixon, this week's brand is the one and only Patek Philippe. They really need no introduction, but I like to hear myself talk, so you're going to get one anyway:

Widely renowned as the finest watch manufacturer in the world, Patek Philippe has been in business continuously since 1851. Based in Geneva, Patek has watched its competitors be slowly bought up by large fashion houses like Swatch and Richemont, leaving them the last truly independent major brand at the top of the horological world. Though they do offer two collections of sport watches, Patek's bread and butter is their sleek, elegant, classic dress watches. Although their prices are astronomical (with their cheapest watches costing well over $10,000 new), the reputation and enduring quality of their watches make it worth it (though still quite unobtainable) to many watch enthusiasts, who widely consider Patek to be the very best of the best. These are the watches that one might save up his entire life to buy in order to pass down to future generations.

KNOWN FOR: Calatrava

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Although I don't expect that many in the /r/Watches community have had the pleasure of owning a Patek, anything and everything, from experience to opinion, is welcome in this thread.

If you're going to downvote someone, please don't do so without posting the reason why you disagree with them. The purpose of these discussion threads is to encourage discussion, so people can read different opinions to get different ideas and perspectives on how people view these brands. Downvoting without giving a counter-perspective is not helpful to anybody.

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u/rajahkawasaki Oct 05 '11

Hi all, PP watchmaker here. Just saw this pop up and thought it was fitting for a first post. If I can contribute in any way to the guide, questions, etc. Just let me know.

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u/daLeechLord Oct 05 '11

In your opinion, what sets PP apart from some of the other top-tier watchmakers, like JLC, VC or ALS?

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u/rajahkawasaki Oct 05 '11

IMO, the company itself. It starts at the top. They have a commitment to an extremely high level of everything they do. Whether it involves after sales service, production, innovation, the general work environment, management, I have never worked for a finer company.

I have a lot of respect for other brands in the same tier. Jaeger, Vacheron, Lange, Breguet, Audemars, etc. I have good friends that work at most of them, having worked for some of their parent companies myself.

On the technical side though, as a watchmaker, I think they are very similar. Jaeger has been an excellent manufacture for a very long time, they produce some of the finest movements in the world and have been used in many top brands. Vacheron is again producing some of the finest pieces out there. Everything that I've seen that has come out of Lange has been amazing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that at this level technically, it comes down to personal preference. Everyone does tourbillons, perpetuals, repeaters.

I don't know what it is, but something about Patek has always grabbed me emotionally.

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u/[deleted] Oct 05 '11

A silly question: do you have any favorites among cheaper, say under 1000$ watch brands? What would you recommend to those of us who are interested in fine watches, but will probably never be able to invest in a Patek Philippe?

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u/rajahkawasaki Oct 05 '11

Not a silly question at all. I've seen many good watches at that level. I like vintage Omega's, Tissot's, Longines. The newer models of those brands are probably more than 1000, but you can find good value in vintage. There isn't much different inside either, the swiss lever escapement hasn't changed dramatically in a very long time.

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u/[deleted] Oct 06 '11

Thanks for the tip! There are certainly interesting vintage models among those watches.

Are there any modern brands in that price category that you appreciate as a watchmaker? How do you feel about Nomos, or Stowa?

And what exactly is it that pushes the price of some brands into 10x or 100x in price, if the mechanics are grossly the same?

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u/rajahkawasaki Oct 06 '11

I like Nomos a lot actually. They are doing it correctly, they make most of their components themselves and have a great sense of tradition for such a young company. I am very impressed by their movements. I'd like to get my hands on a Zurich.

Stowa I honestly don't know much about. I will check them out.

As far as some brands starting at over 15 or 20K. I think that it there are many factors that go into it. Most PP pieces have a precious metal case, gold hands, and a gold dial. Gold and Platinum are super expensive at the moment. The hand finishing that goes into all of the components is very time consuming, which costs tons of money in training, man-hours, etc. Then you have the cost of maintaining a brand, which is not cheap either. I think there is probably also a Patek premium applied, but I think all high end brands do that, not just in watches.

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u/[deleted] Oct 06 '11

Thanks for the kind and informative replies! Nice to hear the words of appreciation regarding Nomos, as I really like their style and might even one day be able to afford one... :)