Philip Stern, Honorary President of Patek Philippe, and Mr. Thierry Stern, President.
In order to ensure that every piece of Patek Philippe can become a "treasure", Patek Philippe not only ensures the integration of high-end materials and techniques at the beginning of design, but also does its homework in after-sales service and maintenance. There are international customer service centers all over the world, well-trained qualified maintenance watchmakers, and a special antique watch maintenance department at the headquarters of Plan-les-Ouates in Geneva to ensure that all antique watches produced by Patek Philippe can be perfectly maintained.
Patek Philippe maintenance personnel disassemble and inspect the precision movement in a clean room.
Friends who know Patek Philippe should know that as early as 2009, Patek Philippe broke away from the "bondage" of the Geneva Seal and launched an independent set of Patek Philippe Seal, which is also the common PP Seal. This certification mechanism has been involved in the integrity, aesthetic feeling and overall value of functions, and even after-sales service. Patek Philippe promises that timepieces introduced since the establishment of 1839 brand can provide inspection, maintenance, repair and repair of antique watches.
Patek Philippe maintenance personnel disassemble and assemble the movement in a dust-free environment.
Patek Philippe's antique watch repair department not only has a rich inventory of parts, but also the watchmakers inside can manufacture all the necessary replacement parts according to the ancient method, including the smallest gear and rack.
Antique watch repair department has sufficient and diverse spare parts inventory.
As mentioned above, Patek Philippe promises to provide repair and maintenance services for all clocks and watches produced by the company since 1839. Generally speaking, the repair team of Patek Philippe in Geneva is responsible for the production of clocks and watches over 35 years or antique timepieces dating back to19th century, with the goal of preserving and maintaining the technical functions and appearance of timepieces as much as possible. Patek Philippe knows that restorers hold the history of Patek Philippe. In order to support them and preserve the ancient watchmaking technology, Patek Philippe has taken some measures, including continuous training to preserve a large number of original movement and case parts, as well as retaining the original production tools and machines. It is very important that the repairman should not only be familiar with the technical knowledge, but also understand the important historical significance of this job, so that the history of each timepiece can be passed down.
This master of antique watch maintenance has worked in Patek Philippe for 23 years. He is a master of hand-made gears and gear rods by operating manual lathes. The precision of pure manual cutting and grinding reaches 2 microns.
An ancient instrument used by the antique watch repair department to inspect and verify the repair parts (gear rod size).
Patek Philippe restorers deeply understand the historical significance of their work and know that what they do every day is the reason why the history of every timepiece is passed down. He not only made the parts necessary for repairing clocks and watches by hand, but also took pains to draw them one by one, so that these technologies can be passed on.
The restoration work requires many special processes, some of which are rarely used now. Patek Philippe promises to provide maintenance services for its oldest clocks and watches. It is very important to use these technologies that are considered to have been "lost" to fulfill the promise and let the historical value of these ancient watches be passed on, as always.
First of all, Patek Philippe is really expensive, but it is not difficult to buy it if you have money. If the price is affordable, it is not difficult to buy.
However, the "hard to buy" you said is actually some limited edition watches that have been hyped by the media. But if Patek Philippe only sells these watches, it is obviously difficult to support such a big brand. After all, there are still many people employed in the watch factory.
As for why Patek Philippe became the leader in the wristwatch industry, I believe everyone must have different views.
For example, some people say that this is because Patek Philippe makes good watches, that is, products are well made.
Some people say that Patek Philippe is good at marketing and understands the psychology of customers. For example, building a good relationship with auction houses, shooting more sky-high products and making some big news will also have a subtle influence on many potential consumers.
Some people say that because Patek Philippe is a family business, it will pay more attention to brand characteristics and will not change or give up some traditional things that should be adhered to simply in pursuit of economic benefits.
In fact, these statements have some truth, which can be seen comprehensively. After all, the success of a brand can't be achieved by luck, let alone overnight.
Xu Bugong: You can see the details of how Patek Philippe made the handmade noodles, and you can feel his determination and perseverance to continue to be a leader.
The Perfect Face of Patek Philippe Watch
Making the dial of a luxury watch is a delicate and complicated art, because even the smallest error will be clearly visible on the watch. Patek Philippe's dial is produced by Cadrans Fü ckigersa, and the pursuit of exquisiteness and artistry tends to be perfect.
CARRANS FL UCKIGER Dial Factory, established in 1860, was taken over by Patek Philippe in 2004. Through this acquisition, the Geneva-based dial factory began the last step of independence from external suppliers.
It takes 50 to 1 10 steps to make a patek Philippe dial. The luxurious watch dial began with the creation of the dial prototype. Usually, there are six colleagues working together in the prototype creation department, who are responsible for the feasibility study of dial design, drafting technical drawings and determining the exact specifications of design and production mode. The team in this department is also responsible for manufacturing small watch series and after-sales service.
The work of the assembly line begins with stamping blanks. Artisans must first poke holes with machines to find holes for window display. If there is, grind a square hole with copper plate. If necessary, you can also chamfer the edge of the window by pressing. Only in the last step, you will start with the dial (usually circular) outline. The next steps are mechanical drilling, grinding, dressing, drawing circular grain and diamond polishing.
The next thing to do is to surface-treat the dial. The dial may be finished in a matte shape at first, and it needs to be painted in satin, sandblasted and then decorated radially. Pressurized spray, grinding disc or hand-held brush can be used, but the specific operation mode depends on the required dial smoothness. Then, the part that eventually becomes the dial part is immersed in an electroplating bath, and a plating layer of nickel, rhodium, ruthenium, silver or gold is obtained in the electroplating bath. In this electrolytic process, the thickness of the layer deposited on the metal substrate is between 0.0000 1mm and 0.015 mm. The latter is 1500 times thicker than the former, but it is actually four times thinner than a strand of hair. Multiple chemical baths on the dial will make the dial the final color. Patek Philippe's color spectrum is naturally infinite in theory, but Patek Philippe usually chooses relatively low-key colors, such as silver, gold, brown, gray, blue, or black.
In addition to these technologies, the craftsmen of Cadrans Flückiger have also mastered various specialties, and they can make the dial of high-end watches into miniature works of art. For example, Guilloché decoration is applied to the metal surface by means of antique machines, and it completely relies on mechanical means to transform the complex decorative patterns on the large template into tiny carved patterns on the dial.
Enamel, on the other hand, requires craftsmen to fully grasp the materials and the time and know-how of multi-kiln firing. Improper handling in each kiln firing process may damage the parts.
Jewelers must work very carefully to ensure that each diamond is firmly mounted on the dial and can shine evenly in the best posture.
Skilled craftsmen engaged in these processes must work carefully to avoid any inaccurate operation. Any slight error will betray the trust of Patek Philippe customers in watchmaking process. Patek Philippe and other luxury brands adhere to the principle of manual finishing, requiring skilled craftsmen to insert decals into appropriate metal sheets during the assembly stage, and firmly fix the decals at the bottom of the dial by riveting or welding.
Strict final quality control inspection is the last step to ensure that each dial is impeccable. At this point, an exquisite, elegant and timeless Patek Philippe classic dial was born.
Patek Philippe's 5370P chronograph, launched in 20 15, is the pinnacle of the brand's modern chronograph works. First of all, it is the first simple chronograph equipped with hand chase since the release of the brand CH-29-535 PS self-made chronograph movement. Secondly, the watch is loyal to Patek Philippe's style design, which makes collectors flock to it, especially fascinated by the timing function.
The lines of the ear handle and handle are quite elegant and smooth, and the decorative round nut is added to the ear side, which echoes the soft luster of the enamel panel, and the strong sense of speed when chasing the needle is also much softer, more subtle and restrained.
Comment 1: Show the pleasing collection of classical elements of the king.
One of the reasons why 5370P is pleasing is its classic design. The watch has Calatrava traditional platinum round shell and headscarf crown, black dial made of enamel, white scale and characters, willow-shaped hands, Breguet digital time scale, track scale and rangefinder. These are the most classic elements of the brand. The diameter of 4 1mm is slightly enlarged compared with the old model, but it is still between modern aesthetic feeling and moderate size. Perhaps for watch fans who have been familiar with Patek Philippe for a long time, classicality is what a watch king should look like, and 5370 is the most acceptable style on the emotional level.
Compared with the previous generation, the 5370P has a better operating feel, an independently adjustable zeroing mechanism, and an instantaneous jump timer minute, all of which are excellent optimization features of the CH 29 series movement.
Comment 2: The first eye-catching design of 2:ch29 series movement.
The 5370 is equipped with Cal. CHR 29-535 PS is also the first chronograph of CH 29 series movement. Double guide wheels, stable horizontal clutch and manual winding all meet the expectations of watch fans for a top watch; In addition, innovative technologies such as patented clutch wheel tooth profile, self-adjusting hammer in ruby bearing, integral cam with groove and newly designed pin-chasing wheel isolator are all helpful to improve power transmission efficiency, reduce wear or improve synchronization; According to the specifications of Patek Philippe Seal, the daily difference of movement is within +2 -3 seconds, which exceeds the certification of COSC Observatory.
Double-cover guide post wheel, brand patented weight fine-tuning balance wheel and many finely polished levers and parts can be seen at a glance from the transparent bottom cover. Of course, the brightest PP logo is quality assurance.
Comment 3: Chasing the needle is the most difficult timing function.
California CHR 29-535 PS will inevitably make people want to compare it with another brand of chronograph movement CHR 27-525 PS, which is a one-button chronograph movement. When it was published, it became the thinnest manual winding guide post wheel chronograph movement. At that time, it was equipped with 5959P, which has been discontinued at present, and its military case is impressive. However, this movement has not been covered with dust with the suspension of the watch. In Patek Philippe's current online style, there are also extensions such as 5372 loaded with perpetual calendars. Compared with the general chronograph, the chronograph with hand-chasing function only has the central hand-chasing second hand, but its complexity is equivalent to tourbillon's, second only to three minutes. The general timing function can only measure the time once, and the speed, distance and even the number of pulses per minute can be measured by the scale around the dial, while the hand-chasing timing function can measure the complex time more than twice. Due to the complicated structure of the needle-chasing, there are not many brands capable of manufacturing, and its price has always been considerable, which is once again confirmed in the 5370 platinum case.
5370P needle-chasing chronograph
Platinum material /CHR29-535PS manual winding movement/hour, minute and small second hand display/timing function/enamel dial/binaural 1 diamond/Patek Philippe seal/sapphire crystal mirror, transparent bottom cover/waterproof 30m/ diameter 4 1mm//
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As the first chronograph of CH 29 series movement, Ref. 5370 has a homemade movement, a classical appearance and an enamel panel, which is the most patek Philippe in the eyes of watch fans. Over the years, Patek Philippe's double chasing needle styles are not too many, and the number of each one is quite rare. Based on the law that things are rare and expensive, there is generally a certain market (the price of this model can be bought from other brands); The diameter of the early style is too small to be accepted by modern people's wearing habits, which highlights the importance of increasing the watch case to 4 1mm by 5370, which means that it can be used not only for collection, but also for daily wear. Therefore, even though it is expensive, it is still deeply loved by collectors in the peak market, and its extremely high technological value can be called Patek Philippe's masterpiece.
Hello, everyone, I'm Piggy Watchmaking, a watchmaker who specializes in custom-made watches.
The Perfect Face of Patek Philippe Watch
Making the dial of a luxury watch is a delicate and complicated art, because even the smallest error will be clearly visible on the watch. Patek Philippe's dial is produced by Cadrans Fü ckigersa, and the pursuit of exquisiteness and artistry tends to be perfect.
CARRANS FL UCKIGER dial factory, established in 1860, was taken over by Patek Philippe in 2004. Through this acquisition, the Geneva-based dial factory began the last step of independence from external suppliers.
Strict final quality control inspection is the last step to ensure that each dial is impeccable. At this point, an exquisite, elegant and timeless Patek Philippe classic dial was born.
For more knowledge issues such as watch customization, watch purchase, true and false evaluation, you can read my e-book "Pig Watch" or communicate.