The Essential Guide to Patek Phillipe Men's Watches
Founded in 1839, the fine watchmaker Patek Phillipe continues to craft timeless timepieces from the highest quality materials available. The company, located in Geneva, Switzerland, manufactures one of the most accurate movements in watchmaking. In 1844, the watchmaker won its first award for innovation at the Industrial Exposition in Paris for its hand-setting system and keyless winding system, and its innovations continue to win awards today.
What types and styles of men's watches do the company make?Patek Phillipe crafts both wristwatches and pocket watches. Patek Philippe men's wristwatches compromise a significant portion of the company's creations, including its Grand Complications, Complications, Calatrava, Geneve, Gondolo, Golden Ellipse, Nautilus, Aquanaut and Twenty~4 lines. It crafts a separate pocket watch collection and also creates handcrafted heirloom watches.
What traits make these timepieces so sought after?Purchasing a Patek Phillipe means purchasing a piece of horology history. The manufacturer carefully crafts its heirloom pieces and continually updates its manufacturing methods. The firm continues to develop new movements and improve its designs, for instance, its 5303 model moved the minute repeater striking mechanism to the dial side. Its handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pocket watches, wristwatches, and dome table clocks provide an opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind timepiece.
What materials do these watches use?Similar to its competitors, such as the Vacheron Constantin watch and Jaeger Lecoultre watch, these fine timepieces may be crafted of stainless steel, gold, silver, platinum, or leather bands. Some watches use stainless steel or gold faces. The movement is always Swiss and developed within Patek Phillipe. Some of the watches include jewels such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, or emeralds.
What notable vintage and recent designs might a collector target owning?The watch company makes wristwatches using three shades of gold – rose, white and yellow. You can find its Nautilus 7011 in white gold with a quartz movement or its 175th Anniversary World Time 7175 in rose gold with an automated movement. Its manual movement Calatrava 5022 in rose gold or its Calatrava 3923 in yellow gold are also targeted by serious collectors.
What does the reference number relate to in Patek Phillipe watches?The company does not generally name its designs. It instead, assigns a reference number to them. While the firm does name its collections, such as the Calatrava, it then numbers each of the designs. This identifies the watch and its appropriate parts much like American manufacturers use serial numbers and part numbers.
| Grand Complications | Complications | Calatrava | Nautilus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | Gold, Platinum | Gold, Platinum | Gold, Platinum | Gold, Stainless Steel |
| Wrist Band | Leather, Alligator, Gold | Leather, Alligator, Gold, Platinum | Satin, Leather, Alligator | Alligator, Gold, Stainless Steel |
| Movement | Automatic or Manual | Automatic | Manual | Manual |
| Embellishments | No | No | Diamonds | Diamonds |
| Face Illustrations | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |