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Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe

ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES

640 Pages, 11 x 14.5

Formats: Cloth

Cloth, $325.00 (US $325.00)

Publication Date: March 2017

ISBN 9781848094628

Rights: US

Penguin Random House UK (Mar 2017)
Preface Publishing

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Overview

The authorized, definitive history and biography of the world's most prestigious watch maker: Patek Philippe

The definitive history of the world-renowned watchmakers, Patek Philippe. Founded in Geneva in 1839, and to this day a family-owned company, Patek Philippe makes what are widely regarded as the world's finest mechanical watches. Among them, the most valuable watch ever made: the famous 1933 pocket watch known as the "Graves" supercomplication, which sold at auction in 2014 for $23,934,00. A cult among collectors, Patek Philippe and its timepieces have been treasured by kings and princes, rock stars, and sportsmen. Notable customers of the storied Swiss watchmaker include Queen Victoria, and her great-great-granddaughter HM Queen Elizabeth II.  Drawing exclusively on interviews with the company's owners and with staff and watchmakers past and present, as well as on hitherto unseen documents from the company's archives, Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography, celebrates the history of a unique company. Nicholas Foulkes traces the Patek Philippe history from founder Antoine Norbert de Patek's early life in Poland as a young cavalry officer fighting in a doomed uprising. He recounts Patek's exile, his life in Geneva, his meeting with gifted watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe, and the 1932 purchase of the company by the Stern family who, over four generations, have turned it into the legend that it is today.

Reviews

"I am very pleased to see the history of my family's company come to life in this excellent volume. This is the first time that the Patek Philippe archive has been accessed and brought to life in a factual and definitive work. Nicholas Foulkes has perfectly recreated the atmosphere and details of our 175-year journey." —Philippe Stern, Honorary President of Patek Philippe

Author Biography

Nicholas Foulkes is the world authority on Patek Philippe and a world authority on the history of the portable time piece. He is a contributing editor Patek Philippe Magazine.