watch-er
1820
If Patek sells
the writing is on the wall for the Swiss Watch industry as people continue the steady relentless transition to cell phones for the time. The artificial reductions in supply of product from Patek and Rolex can only mask the reality for so long. If you look at the independents which were sold, it has done nothing to help their product value long term. Products made after the company sale just do not have the same flair in the market place. What drove the whole high end watch craze was the big money folks started looking to watches as secure places to park money in the late 90s and early 2000's. Those folks have moved on to greener pastures and the watch companies are left with the dwindling watch collector crowd which frankly has not been too enamored of most of the recent releases to date.
Patek Philippe for sale?
Found this on Bloomberg: (Sorry if someone has posted this already) ...
It would make a lot of sense
from the perspective of the owners. I strongly believe that the global economy will turn towards much worse. I also believe that the prices of top watch brands are totally insane and have absolutely nothing to do with costs. Let’s face it: even the finest...
Interesting, I hope it’s just industry gossip...
Personally, I like the Stern family being at the helm.
Analyst speculating in what MAY happen...
I generally care little about analyst opinions however I do believe there are a number of reasons this may be on its way... however emotionally I hope nothing will come of it.... let’s see
This would be at the top of the targets list at LVMH
It would be the last big milestone for the LVMH conglomerate to finally reach equal status with Richemont in the watch field
Nope but they can certainly raise the debt
That is the answer to everything over the last century
+1 What are EU HY bonds at 3-4%...lolz! [nt]
Even Elon Musk can buy it out.. kid you not ! Plenty of fish
I like companies staying privately held as they are not beholden to shareholders' desire for short term gains.
Long term planning works well for mechanical watches meant to last for generations.
If this rumour proves true...
...that would be an earthquake to watch industry, I think.
That would be a shame. I would rather Patek explore the Rolex charitable trust model.
Probably could accomplish this with some sort of recapitalization that left the Stern family with more money that many generations could reasonably spend in their constituents' lifetimes (not that I'm discounting the idle rich's ability to spend indiscrim...
I heard rumors about this over a year ago...
that the owners of Patek was in talks with a group of wealthy investors from the middle east about acquiring the brand. Even though Thierry Stern is the CEO, as his father was before him, I'd imagine the shares are spread out across many individuals and n...
Hopefully just a rumor and nothing more... 😋
But i agree with Dr. Kol about the insanity of the high end watch industry. The question the current owners should ask themselves will the money get a better return in other investments or more importantly whats more important “high returns” or “high retu...
It depends how much you think about the next generation.
My 4 girls will need cash. Best, Kari
Nowadays when I pay their studies, thu might agree
but a couple of years ago when they all were teenagers, for sure not. I was enemy #2, only their mother with whom they had no contact, overperformed me. Best, Kari
You were outnumbered!
I've observed that drawing healthy boundaries makes for a little tension for teens, but then is rewarded when they become healthy adults.
That’s what I believed
and now there are three well balanced chicks; one futire teacher and two MD. Being a parent is not an easy job. A single father for three girls give a place in Heaven. That’s because Hell was already seen in earth. Okay, it was’t that bad but let’s call i...
it depends how you look at it
one can say, Thierry should continue the tradition of handing over the business to his son/daughter but then if you are given $$$ who is to say No? A business if you can make it bigger will have a better valuation than selling it say at present.
I have seen too many cases
when the next generation was not interested or capable. Money is money and somebody inheriting tons of it, can always find a capable asset manager. I believe in the meltdown of global economies. I also believe that the watch hype is soon over. At some sta...
That would be a disaster. Except of course for the Sterns (if they want to sell, this is obviously a good time), and for us (the 'real' Pateks will likely see a big jump in the market).
As for everything else --- which includes all the values Patek Philippe believes in, as well as my passion for collecting their watches --- it would just be very sad, and very disappointing. It might be good if Mr. Stern put this matter to rest once and f...
Further off topic
Thierry always carries himself with humility and is very much likeable, unlike a certain other ‘ceo’ that made a fool of himself recently!
Several years ago in an interview Thierry stated that he'd like his family to still own the company at 200 years old.
Something about the way he stated this made me, and some others I corresponded with, think that he might be open to selling at that point.
very thin story. I dont see how this would make sense anytime soon
If the Stern family has children in their teens, it is very likely they will wait with such a decision until it is clear whether one of their children has an interest to work in the company, and to eventually lead it same as their father and grandfather. ...
I do not believe the Stern family will sell PP
It is not about money. Maybe they got an offer from some brand. I remember an interview where the question popped up, and Mr T. Stern mentioned he got few offers in the past (they can always try). Interestingly, the question of his children taking on the ...
If Patek sells
the writing is on the wall for the Swiss Watch industry as people continue the steady relentless transition to cell phones for the time. The artificial reductions in supply of product from Patek and Rolex can only mask the reality for so long. If you look...
I like him
There seems to be something genuine about him, whether true or not. It will not be good for the brand. Things are not great for the service department as they are, I can't imagine they will improve with something similar to Richemont.
Interesting article whether it is rumour or not!
Surprised to see market value of PP being ten times more than Breitling. I agree with 's statement on price vs. value (watches being made in serial mode by CNC machine that must not differ much from one workshop to another). It stays a luxury industry whe...
Jokes aside, it's interesting to see how the change of ownership may impact the brand appreciation
We all know it's a business, but there're some feelings that make us "overpay" for our watches. Kill the magic of our feelings, and let's see what happens to the business.
Living in Switzerland I can tell you that this rumor pops up every
year around SIHH and /or Basel and has been doing so for the past 4-5 years! The only group IMHO who could buy PP and not totally destroy it by integrating it in a portfolio of brands would be Rolex
Thats' the most sensible thing I have heard from this discussion yet
Rolex would be a fine steward for PP. But still, it would be so much better if the legacy could continue as a family owned and operated watchmakers. Vacheron now are a shadow of the former company since acquisition.
An article from "handelszeitung.ch"...
...who could be interested in buying Patek? # (german)
Patek marketing publicity stunt!
From past interviews the company seams to be self funded and in no way show any financial problems even if there’s a crash. Selling out probably wouldn’t make them any richer since there’s nothing to buy or invest in with proper returns. What’s not to lik...
Indirect?
If I wanted to entertain an offer, I'd be saying I had no intention to sell also. Anxious sellers don't get high prices. So, I think that "indirect denial" isn't very meaningful. I do believe it would be the end of the brand as we have known it. There's a...
Anything can be, but then even if Patek issued a denial in letterhead you could make the same argument. Don’t forget that all that we have to date (and perhaps that Patek has!) is a Bloomberg article...
..that presents zero details, credible sources, or corroborated information. To me, as it stands, this looks more and more likely to be only cheap gossip. What I certainly agree upon is that the alternative would be the end of Patek as we know it...but ag...
My hope is...
... that if Patek Philippe will indeed be sold, that our fellow member Kari acquires the company. He could pay with his own watches or ships Jokes apart, people are going nuts speculating about who the potential buyer could be. I’ve seen in other blogs na...
I too hope they stay private...
In the case of PP there is a clear example of the difference: Nautilus. In private hands, production is deliberately constrained notwithstanding a massive demand overhang. That is to protect the brand i.e. a long-term play. If in public hands, or those of...
To increase limited editions to unseen numbers might have been in preparation
of this rumored selling process. To me it was very strange that Patek came up with limited editions of 400 pieces in RG and 400 pieces in YG, Nautilus pieces of 600, ... . Also to use diamonds such extensively is making me wonder that Patek is increasing ...
I'd love to see Rolex buy 80% of Patek. Probably the only company in the world that wouldn't fk it up beyond repair.
The family should keep some ownership to maintain the brand image.
I don’t think PP will be sold
I really don’t think this will happen. It’s not about money on Stern family, it’s about prestige and this is not for sale!!! With PP on his own Stern family have probably the most prestigious high end luxury watch on the history of Haute Horologerie! With...
perhaps the Stern family is planning to buy it back in ten years....
after all they bought the company in 1932 after the great recession when it was effectively bankrupt.... perhaps Thierry is foreseeing another great recession so taking money off table now only to buy it back for less later, say in ten years in the meanti...