Do you know why you love Patek Philippe watches?
Once again Basel time is coming. Once
again I'm clear with myself about which current Patek Philippe watch
could be my watch. Once again I know there's a risk (what a risk) of a
new model replacing my current dream!
As I'm
starting to think about what may come next, and starting again to try for
instance to imagine if we'll see a new men's manual wind
chronograph and how it will be, I wanted to try to define what I like in Patek
Philippe watches, and not especially which Patek Philippe I like.
To begin I
thought there were three aspects to examine. I could first think of other
watches I like and look for common aspects, or also for differences.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
is the other brand, the other watch manufacture that keeps appealing me,
perhaps even more each year, and even if I already own 8 of them! I wondered if
what I like in Jaeger-LeCoultre watches, what attracts me and keeps me hot
could be common with what makes me love some PP watches. In full consciousness
the answer is no. There are of course some bridges. A Jaeger-LeCoultre Master
Ultra Thin collection 1833
in pink gold could be compared with a Patek Philippe
5098R among my dearest choices, or more directly to a Patek Philippe 5196R,
another watch I really like.
Still what
watch in the Jaeger-LeCoultre range could I compare to a Patek Philippe 6000G,
a 5146G, a 5712/1A or a 5970P, to name my other favourites? Certainly none of
the current Jaeger-LeCoultre watches I like, the Amvox 2 and the Amvox3, the Duometres,
the Diving automatic or alarm Navy Seal, the Atmos Newson to name them!
How could I
compare a Gyrotourbillon 2 with a 5959 split second chronograph? I love their
common highest level of finish, but that's not what appeals me more in
them!
I love
Jaeger-LeCoultre watches because they offer a very modern vision of the
classical manufacture, innovating on the basis of a long history of
achievements, while forgetting all habits if necessary. It's somewhat a
revolutionary manufacture.
I love Patek
Philippe watches because they embody perfectly the continued and permanent
improvement of the highest horology, the sacred fire aimed at perpetuating the
excellence through invisible permanent change! They personify IMO the glory of
understatement, the wished modesty of a respectful and deserved self-assurance.
That leads me
to the second aspect I wanted to explore. I wanted to try to state if there were
common aspects shared by my favourite current Patek Philippe watches.
I've named them above, here is the list again: 6000G, 5712/1A, 5098R,
5146G, 5970P (and a few more above in the range, that appeal nearly every watch
nut looking at them). If there's a common point out of the brand, that
can't be the case material or form, the dial colour, the complication,
the overall style, or a style detail.
One common
aspect: they all share a strong design, but it could be totally ignored by a
non WIS!
Maybe they share an extreme level of refinement of design each in their own
style, while having the capacity to remain under the radar! I could wear a
5970P at work every day, nobody would notice it, while I would probably spend
the day asking myself why I'm there with the most beautiful manual wind
perpetual calendar chronograph on the wrist!
Many keep
reminding the Oris calendar watches each time we see a picture of a 6000. But
why have I never been appealed by an Oris calendar?
I had never
been appealed by the 5712/1A before Nicolas put his own on my wrist. Why this
watch felt so instantly perfect while I never thought about it before? What
cocktail of beauty, form and function do Patek Philippe watches offer to become
so rapidly obvious when you've found the one that catches you?
I tried to
explore a third aspect to end my thoughts. I wondered if I could see why I was
not as much appealed by many other Patek Philppe watches. Well I can just say
now that I generally don't like much classical dressed watches. I
generally like a little "cherry on the cake", a little something
that would turn the deserving Cendrillon into a princess!
I'm
impressed by many Calatrava references for their simple beauty and calibres,
but I can definitely do without! They are like many paintings I love to look at
in museums, but that I have no desire to ever put them in my house! I feel no
need, no desire of ownership!
At the level of
high horology watches, we need and deserve perfect watches, perfect to our own standards,
what is certainly a defy for watchmakers! I need and desire beautiful Patek
Philippe watches with beauty in all details. I need designs that strike me. I
need watches that I can consider as masterpieces, as expressions of a statement
or idea, expressed to myself and not expressed by myself!
They are inner
watches in some way!
And you, do you
know why you love Patek Philippe watches?
Dje
This message has been edited by Dje on 2010-02-25 02:03:04
Such a hard question, you have no idea...
1st, the WOW effect, that often tend to fade with time
2nd, the more subtle kind of beauty that grows on you. This tend to be more of a timeless kind of love story.
I have recently got a 5070R, a watch i desired for a long time. Until now, when i look at it, i still try to figure out from where comes the attraction? The proportions? the details? What?? So to get back to what you were saying, I love JLC as a brand and so many models, i own a master tourbillon Rg ( one of my favourite watches ) and i've put them side by side. As much as i love my jlc, the Patek feels a good notch above the JLC, in term of finishing, and... i don't know why!!! I took around 20 pictures of it, and honestly, there isn't 2 pics that look the same. The dial clearly interact with its surrounding, the light, like no other.
The bezel , its thickness, the way it sits on the case... And the crown, its almost nothing, but it feels like a world of difference.
Thats the danger with watches like the 5070,... it makes your best watches feel almost ridiculous
to summarize, this topic reminds me of the "golden number"... the perfect proportion to the eye, for god knows which reason. Useless to try to rationalize as the heart has its reasons that the reasons cannot understand
Again, good question your asking, can't wait to hear what other purist think about it
I regards Patek as the epitome of traditional classic watch.....
with a long history.
So if I want a understated classic watch, I go to Patek and will only look at their most understated and classic design.
To name a few, ref.2526, 3970, 5050, 5970, 2499, 5959, 5078, 3939, 5101.........
They all share a similar kind of aesthetic that's meant to be really 'boring' and last forever, similar to the design and vibe of Dufour Simplicity.
If I want anything modern, I will look elsewhere, such as RM, UrWerk or MBF.
If I want something whimsical, I look at Journe.
If I want something 'cold' and technical, I look at Lange.
But for true classic feel, to me, Patek has no match if one only look at mainstream manufacturers.
In short, I think I know why I love Patek and I know very clearly which Patek I love
*CL
I must really love PP
To not have given up the Brand...
You want a Minute Repeater, a Chrono, a Tourbillon, a Celestial?
You're a pure lover, I mean an authentic and sincere one, it won't be enough to get these pieces you dream about.
It is somewhat frustrating, but some of their watches are fatal attractions.
The 5070, the WT, some of their Calatravas, the Celestial are dream watches, to me.
So I go ahead this frustration, and I still love the Brand for what it is.
A nice finish, a timeless look, a touch of Romantism ( the Celestial ), these are the " values " which speak to me.
Values that I don't only find with PP, but also with VC, AP, and JLC.
Best,
Nicolas
Why do I love Pateks?
So for me, conservative dress watches and the like are Patek, sport watches are Rolex. All others are whims.
I know that there are a lot of folks now who want to have this complication or that, and judge their choice by the complexity of the watch. I don't do that anymore, I used to but I think as I have gotten older, the fact that the watch does 58 things in addition to time of day doesn't have its former appeal. I find myself moving to a simpler more conservative watch where it just so happens that Patek has based the bulk of their collection.
Unfortunately, money is a concern so acquiring additional pieces requires a lot of thought and straightening out in my mind, want from what would I want to own twenty years from now. For me, I end up with the two brands that I constantly gravitate to and I know I will always find something to buy.
Exactly my thoughts...
I am a complete PP fan.
But like Whit wrote: "conservative dress watches and the like are Patek, sport watches are Rolex"
is also true for me...
Do you know why you love your wifeÉ
Elegant, charming, unique, head-turner, trustworthy, thrill you with you, getting more beautiful everyday, last a life time, would trade your life for it, treasure for later generations.
Finally, you will confess to your wife (Patek) after you had a fling (other brands)É
Larry
In fact, I love and hate Patek watches at the same time.
I love them because they are indeed relatively more beautiful and elegent (I didn't say better finished) watches. I did chase for them and still own some and now stop buying.
I hate them because they have been constantly and covertly or otherwise used as trading tools by various parties (at times, in double seals). Actually, that is none of my business.
Regards
Ling
+1
Sometimes when I see a fake Patek Philippe picture on PuristSPro I feel very upset and compelled to anger.
Patek Philippe has become a victim of its own success, it has gotten itself a reputation that it has become a commodity that is a haven to store money in. These speculators who partake in this activity are truly ruining the sport of watch collecting.
Thank you for bringing up this topic!
I'll tell you why...
I am still trying to figure it out... maybe becasue it's just
Magical
This message has been edited by Realm on 2010-02-20 19:03:36
Matter of fact....
but
I L o v e Patek, its design and finishing just hypnotize, WYCWIG unlike other brand when you look at the picture so nice but when you see it in flesh will show you something else.
I just like to own and wear when it is keep smiling to you not something make you wonder why I bought this piece and regret.
isn't the Stern the maker of nice dial for Patek before they take over ? the dial just Magical (and for sure the movement also play an important part)
I yet to pull my first trigger on JLC, VC or Lange (AP is out as too big for my wrist), till the day something really strike my heart to die for.
HAGWE
Of all the watches I own/owned I kept telling myself and others,
As much as what i felt might not be a relevant answer to your question, it's how I feel of my 3940, even before I reached my 'golden years', it wears like part of me. I feel the presence of other watches, but hardly my Patek, when it is on my wrist.
So for a watch that I won't hate wearing til 'eternity', I guess it's 'timeless' and so far, I see that in my Patek.
Just me,
Mech.
because you just cant take your eyes off them [nt]
This message has been edited by Ishan on 2010-02-20 23:33:15
before anything else it was the beauty
15 years ago when i was about 18, I was thumbing through a magazine, maybe GQ or ESQUIRE etc. They had the obligatory article on watches that are so common in mens magazines. Mind you at this time I had no knowledge of watches at all really. I knew the name ROLEX and TAG etc. but had no idea what the cost of watches were at all. I thought maybe a rolex cost 2000 dollars at the most. Regardless I liked wristwatches and always liked looking at them in magazines and in stores etc. Well in the article with the usual pictures of watches was what I later came to know as a Patek 5110. I didn't recognize the name and I had no real idea of what all the names of the cities were for but I was positively transfixed by how beautiful it was. The article didn't have any prices in it, it was just showcasing watches it deemed good. I went home and got on my computer and looked up the mysterious name PATEK PHILIPPE. i spelled it wrong but eventually landed on a grey market site that had a large number of references on it, and there it was, the watch i had seen in the magazine. I was shocked and horrified by the price being young and completely broke, but I couldn't get picture of it out of my mind.
so thats what did it for me, pure beauty.
cheers, kevin
Daer JSC
But my 5970P is giving me a quantum of solace!
Beautiful watch...
I love classic Pateks; especially the model you have pictured. I also realized that I love the 5039 the whole time without knowing it.
Beautiful watch and thank you for sharing!
Great question Jerome
PP is upper end watch collecting but there is also a history there. Not as long as VC or a few other brands but I like the idea of a fmily owned business. I do understand that it has gone way beyond and I do not see little Geneva elves working away in some enchanted magical office using fairy dust and pixie weed to put these pieces together. In fact the opposite , when toured the factory a lot of this magic was lost by seeing all the machinery and presses and lathes etc. ( if you want the magic have a look at how P Dufour makes his master pieces)
But hen I look at my vintage pieces and really nothing can compare. I love the design together with the movements. The 2526 is the epitomy of watch making I feel. Simple designs, a perfect movement witha fragile but usuable dial which screams elegance.
The rectabgular pieces are also spectacular with the sublime 9-90 movt. Art deco , art nouveau are all included in their classic designs. The hour glass, the tour Eiffel, manta ray and the most elegan Marilyn Monro are all reasons why I still love to collect PP
Some examples
oops left out the pics
Marilyn
Hour glass
Manta
Whats not to love??????
Love is difficult to describe.
My first "love" with wristwatches started when I was very young with Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1997. I was in Germany and I was looking at a Jaeger-LeCoultre advertisement. The advertisement depicted a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso with both faces displayed, I mistook this photo as a display photo and I literally assumed that the watch looked like a book and had two faces. This misunderstanding prevented me from being able to accurately describe the watch.
For nearly a decade, my love with Jaeger-LeCoultre would not subside, particularly my love for the Reverso Duo and the Grande Reverso GMT.
While I was in love with Jaeger-LeCoultre, I was primarily focused on square watches from the Reverso collection. Because I identified Jaeger-LeCoultre as a square watch company, I focused slightly less attention to the Master (round watches) line. This left an area exposed, an itch that could be scratched; I was very fortunate that my current love came to scratch that itch.
I collected fountain pens and my fountain pen dealer (which happened to sell wristwatches) had a particular round wristwatch lying upside down one day. It was the 240 caliber, and immediately I was impressed with how well finished the movement was, the technical sophistication of the movement, and the thinness of the movement. Immediately, I started a love affair with my mistress Patek Philippe.
It is important to note for the record; during my love with Jaeger-LeCoultre and before my "official" affair with Patek Philippe; I did have a special diversion with Audemars Piguet. This was a very meaningful relationship, but not one that took away from my love with Jaeger-LeCoultre. With Audemars Piguet, I had a very thorough relationship with the Royal Oak line and other complicated wristwatches. This relationship was terminated when I learned that Audemars Piguet was going be changing the Royal Oak, the new Royal Oak was to have a clear crystal back and a lower price. I saw this as Audemars Piguet being unloyal to their previous clients (by lowering the price) and I wasn't certain if I agreed with this. Thus, my relationship with Audemars Piguet never fully blossomed, and slowlywaned; the relationship started just prior to Audemar Piguet's launch of the "Who is behind an Audemars Piguet" ad campaign and ended a year after the new Royal Oak wristwatches arrived to the United States.
Approximately after ten years in love with Jaeger-LeCoultre, I declared Patek Philippe to be my new lover. The model that I was in love with at Patek Philippe had to have the 240 caliber, hours, minutes, small seconds (preferably), and the date (since I don't always remember the date). Instantly, I was attuned towards the 6000G.
Despite my love with the Patek Philippe 6000G, nobody shared my enthusiasm for this very strange piece. The 6000G was considered by many to be the "black sheep" or "oddball" of the Patek Philippe family (not because the dial was black, but...) because the eccentric display of the date cluttered the dial and made the watch dial appear "busy" and cluttered. This didn't disturb me, since the watch met my requirements and I was overall very much attracted to the watch - especially the 240 caliber movement.
Today; my favorite Patek Philippe watches are; 5146G slate dial, 6000G, 5712/1A, 5140J, 5070P, 5970G, 5078P, 3939HP, and the 5074P. It is also important that I give credit to Patek Philippe for starting my love of automatic movements with micro-rotors; it's an automatic that doesn't have half of the movement covered with a weight.
Today; my love for wristwatches has truly blossomed and reached completely different corners of the market; after seeing and meeting timepieces from some very unique independent manufactures, I now favor many small independents.
And I still continue to love Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre.
That's my current love story!
This message has been edited by patrick_y on 2010-02-21 19:53:00
Patek Philippe captures how I feel about time...
Silver and blue, strong and orderly, yet with a delicate multifaceted character all it's own.
--
Richard.
impossible to answer.....
I just dont think i can define it so easily. For a start, i don't love Patek per se, but i do love some of the watches that Patek make. Some watches simply chime louder to me than other watches. It just so happens that if i was to list my favourite 5 watches, 2 of the top 3 would be Patek. Those two appeal to me on so many levels. Does that make me a great lover of Patek, or does it make me a great lover of those two watches? I think its the latter. And then of course it will boil down to what specific and personal factors about those two watches are key for me. Are there generic things about PP that are true? Probably, but again i would guess that those are viewed differently by everyone.
Impossible question to answer!
It's not any one thing....
I can tell you some things that it's not. It's not what they or the company represents. And I don't really care much about history or where they have been or who else has worn them. And it's not about technology or their place in horology or reputation.
What it is about to me is the watch itself. I have owned many watches from many companies... too many, in fact. But there is intangible presence to me in my two Pateks. It's about how the design is realized and thought out. It's about how all the details are seemingly fully considered. It's about how it feels on my wrist. It's about the fact that they are legible and functional and beautiful all at once and seemingly by design. It's about how they specifically don't try to impress onlookers. It's about what wearing one says to me ... not about me. It's about classic values over trends. It's about the quiet joy of using a impeccably designed and realized accessory that does its job superbly. It's about how every single piece of it comes together to make a whole. It's about what they are... the wristwatch fully realized. That's what I love about Patek.
Glenn