Patek Philippe

Polish immigrants, businessman Antoni Patek and watchmaker Frantisek Czapek, founded Patek, Czapek & Cie in Geneva in 1839. Five years later, Patek met watchmaker Adrien Philippe and they introduced Philippe’s invention of the push button. After Czapek left the company in 1851, Patek and Philippe renamed their factory Patek Philippe & Cie. In 1868, Patek Philippe made what is believed to be the first Swiss wristwatch for Countess Kosowicz of Hungary. In 1901, the company was renamed Ancienne Manufacture d’Horologerie Patek Philippe & Cie SA, and in 1932, the Stern family took over the company. Charles and Jean Stern already owned a dial factory in Geneva and in the same year Patek Philippe launched the first model of its famous Calatrava collection. Patek Philippe holds a number of patents relating to its watches, including the Gyromax trigger. Patek Philippe’s most famous watch series are the Golden Ellipse, the Calatrava and the Nautilus.