Visiting The Patek Philippe Museum With An iPhone + July Update

Bad photos of special vintage watches; Chinese watchmaking; 30 under 30ish; a Patek jigsaw puzzle.

Welcome to my monthly update. This is a longer newsletter, but only because of the photos, so tap the headline above to see them all. If you like these updates where I empty the overflowing camera roll, let me know by tapping that heart (❤️).

In this update: Cartier, Ferrari, Longines, LVMH & Bernard Arnault, the Patek Philippe Museum, Qin Gan, Watchonista, and jigsaw puzzles.

Back in April, I spent an extra day in Geneva wandering through the Patek Philippe Museum. It’s probably the best collection of vintage and antique watches in the world, an overwhelming three-floor exhibit that spans at least five centuries of timekeeping.

Patek’s wristwatches are towards the end, a relatively small portion of the exhibit. It’s a reminder that wristwatches are a relatively small part of the story of our quest to keep track of time. But let’s save the existential thoughts for another day, and just look at some pretty watches, shall we?

the vibe

Recently, the Museum started allowing cellphone photos in the exhibitions. I oscillated between feeling like I had to get photos of some rare vintage watches and resisting the urge to pull out my phone at every cabinet, knowing the fluorescently lit photos could never do these watches justice.

So here’s a selection of what ended up in my camera roll. Having seen so many of these in books, auction catalogs, and photos, it almost felt like I’d been before. But going in person is really the only way to appreciate the magnitude of the Patek Philippe Museum.

The biggest watch to sell so far this year was the Patek 605 world timer ($3.2 million), so here are three more enamel 605 HUs, with the unique “Neptune” second from left. Some of the most beautiful watches ever made.

In 1996, this was the first wristwatch to sell for $1 million at auction, and it’s always fascinated me. It’s how I started writing one of my favorite articles, “What Makes For A Million-Dollar Watch At Auction Today?” A 31mm platinum minute repeater, perpetual calendar delivered in 1939 after nine years of development.

(L) Retrograde perpetual fitted into a Calatrava 96 case; (R) one of 8 known triple cal 96s.

Early, complicated Patek Calatrava 96s are some of my favorite watches ever, so here are a couple more. On the right is one of just eight known triple calendar 96 Calatravas. When Phillips sold “The Last Emperor’s” Patek for $6.2 million, I documented all of them here. On the left is a perpetual calendar that Patek fitted into a 96 case. It wouldn’t make another retrograde perpetual until introducing the ref. 5050 in the ‘90s.

Pink on pink 1518 perpetual calendar chronograph, one of 15 known.

There are a ton of 1518 and 2499 perpetual calendar chronographs – perhaps the watch that most defines Patek Philippe collecting. They might vary in condition, but there are all kinds of rare or otherwise important examples in the Museum.

Of course, there are your “standard” perpetuals too.

An early cushion case minute repeater with Breguet numerals.

The only known world timer with chronograph wristwatch, ref. 1415 HU. Cool to see the foundation for Patek’s modern world time chronos.

They’re small, but early sector dial designs like this on the 96 are just about perfect.

Patek Reverso by Jaeger-LeCoultre, one of seven known.

The famous “Cobra” from 1958. I’ve read this was a joint project between Gilbert Albert and Louis Cottier – is this true or one of those urban legends that gets passed around? Either way, it’s clearly the child of a complications genius and an audacious designer.

Speaking of, more of Gilbert Albert’s shape-shifting designs. The one on the bottom right is a prototype, supposedly made for Beyer. In those days, retailers and manufacturers worked quite closely together to develop products for their markets. Patek acquired the watch from Sotheby’s in 2005.

The famous desk clock delivered to James Ward Packard in 1923 that served as the inspiration for Patek’s 2021 OnlyWatch.

Now, a few chronographs:

The ref. 2512 split seconds chronograph that provided inspiration for the modern 5070. Patek didn’t make a manually-wound chronograph for like 40 years, so when it brought introduced the 5070 in 1998, this was a worthy callback.

Doesn’t get much better than a ref. 130 chronograph with black dial and Breguet numerals.

An early split seconds chronograph, something of an inspiration for the modern 5950.

Finally, a couple of Calatrava 570s with beautiful and completely different dials.

And a platinum 2526 with diamond indices.

A clock and a snuff box.

Enamel everywhere.

All these Patek wristwatches are just a portion of the Patek Philippe Museum and honestly I spent more time wandering through the first two pre-wristwatch floors (shoutout to Roy Davidoff for being an excellent tour guide). The clocks, automatons, and pocket watches are beautiful. For about $40, Treasures from the Patek Philippe Museum by Dr. Peter Friess, curator of the Museum, also offers a decent look in the collection.

I could write an entire article about some of these watches – and perhaps that’s still to come – but in the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this peek into the Patek Philippe Museum.

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Articles of the Month

A quick note of appreciation to Watchonista for including me in their 30 under 30ish list for 2024, highlighting people who are “changing the face and culture of the watch world for the better.”

✍️ Elsewhere:

One To Watch: Qin Gan, the independent Chinese watchmaker sets out to make an elegant statement about Chinese watchmaking. The Pastorale II is a beautiful piece of watchmaking, and it was a pleasure to be able to speak with Qin’s team to learn more about his watchmaking.

Hands-On: Longines Legend Diver 39, when down-sizing Longines' heritage dive watch makes all the difference.

The Story of John Lennon’s Patek Philippe with Jay Fielden, the writer of The New Yorker article that traces the journey of Lennon's lost Patek discusses the story behind the story.  

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The Thrift Corner

Since this is a longer newsletter, a shorter auction finds this month.

Cartier Mechanical Pencil with Watch

1930s Silver mechanical pencil from Cartier, enamel (est. $1,000–$1,500, closing 7/9).

Patek Philippe Jigsaw Puzzle

$85 on eBay

I didn’t know I needed a Patek Philippe Grand Comp puzzle, but now I do. It looks like this was probably part of Antiquorum’s promotion for the Art of Patek Philippe sale featuring the caliber 89 in 1989.

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💼 Finally, Businessweek’s profile of Bernard Arnault got picked up because it’s where he disclosed his small personal stake in Richemont, but there are other hints at LVMH’s ambitions in watches if you read the full profile. More to come on this. 🐎 Similarly, this WSJ profile offers a look at how Ferrari’s newish CEO is shaking up the Prancing Horse.

Thanks for reading,

-Tony