Patek Philippe

We all know that the company's marketing campaign centers around the idea of "merely taking care of a Patek for the next generation..."

But I ask, to those who have only daughter(s), what will become of your Patek? 

Will you go to your daughter as a keep-sake?  To a son-in-law?  A favorite nephew?  Or, will it not go down to the next generation as an heirloom, but liquidated for cash?

... as far as I can tell they will have no problems wearing their Dad's watches when they grow up.

Their mother already borrows my Pateks whenever she wants.  Our wrist sizes are almost the same.  I have given her "ladies size" pieces too like 26mm Rolex watches but 36 to 39mm case sizes look fantastic on her.  Personally she prefers borrowing my 5040J and 3970J.

It has never even crossed my mind that "the next generation" necessarily needed to be male.

... if my daughters end up allowing their boyfriends or husbands to use the Pateks I give them, well. 

I hope I raise my daughters well enough to choose men who will say "your Dad gave you some fantastic heirloom pieces, and I'm grateful that you are allowing me to borrow them, but I want to start our own tradition.  I will work hard, buy Pateks for myself and for you and our children, and make your Dad proud to call me his son-in-law."

Which is exactly what I told my father-in-law when he passed his watches on to me.  No Pateks, but several lovely Rolex pieces (one PN Daytona, for example). 

I wear one for its heirloom value, but all my other Pateks are stuff I bought for myself with my hard-earned money, no inheritance.

 

 

a grandson, son in law,  or may be sold to fund college, buy a house, etc.. In any event, it will do nothing but help.

I have a brief "next generation" story. About ten years ago, I received a call from "Jay". He asked about getting a Patek he inherited from his father who inherited it from his father, repaired. The crystal was broken and he wanted to know if we could handle such a repair and fix the watch as well. I asked him to describe the watch and asked questions to determine if we were talking about a genuine Patek or if it was a fake. The case is yellow, not square, not round, then okay maybe a cushion, dial was not white but not cream ... okay determined it was silvered, the hour markers were Arabic but the 4 was gone and the 9 was partially missing, on a Speidel twist-o-flex expansion band. Then he said there was a little piece that stuck out on the side and if you moved it, the watch would chime the time.

This is the point when I started wondering, could this be? I'm in North Carolina, this can't be. So, I asked him to bring it by for me to look at. He said his schedule  might not allow it. I asked his occupation, in construction so I assumed he was a builder or developer. About three or four days later, he showed up with the watch and we chatted for a few hours and I looked at the watch to find out it was indeed the real thing. He was in construction alright, but he was one of the guys with the hammer. I asked him how the watch came to be damaged and he told me he was using a jack hammer and a piece flew up and broke the crystal. He took it off and threw it under the front seat of his pick up truck and forgot about it until two years later when he was cleaning out his truck and found it along with coffee cups and who knows what else. I asked how he got it and he told me his grandfather was a surgeon in Pittsburgh and evidently saved the life of a very wealthy individual and was given this in appreciation. When his grandfather passed away, his father received it and wore it until he passed away but just before while in the hospital, he took it off his arm and gave it to "Jay" who wore it for 5-6 years before breaking the crystal.

He couldn't afford to get an estimate much less have it repaired. The watch didn't function with the exception of the minute repeat mechanism. Finally, I asked him what he wanted to do with the watch  ... put it up until he could afford to have it repaired or sell it ( this actually took some time because I just wasn't that blunt ). I explained what he had and it represented significant money and he decided to let us sell the watch for him. Sixty days later, we presented him with a (for him) life changing check.

If I had not experienced this, honestly I don't know whether I believe stories like this ...  but that watch changed this man's life. Thinking later, it could have very easily been thrown away because of its appearance. It would have been at home in a box of old broken dirty watches or someone taking advantage of him.

Got an extract, 11''' minute repeater, lever escapement, manufactured in 1930, sold 1945.

Sorry for the length, I really thought it would be brief and I left out everything I could but the important facts.

Just being a part of this was incredible, seeing the expression on his face when he read the amount of the check and the circumstances of how all of this came about. I look back at this experience often and  will never forget it.

It would be my hope my son will be in a position to keep the watches I have given him but if he finds himself in a bind, they are there to help. That's all I can do, it's for him and his well being.

or this story could have turned out very bad for him!  Very nice ending to a great story.  Thanks.

Great story Jay , a pleasure to read , thanks for sharing

with a happy ending. Admire you for not taking  advantage of Jay. You could have "bought " it for peanuts and made a killing. There's always room for a win / win . 

obviously knowing the value of our collection, educate our immediate family of it? I haven't and I'm seriously thinking I should be telling my wife at least how much they're worth while I have the chance to avoid them handling my collection lightly, or giving them away as door gifts after my passing.

... for going into detail and evoking much emotion. This was certainly worth sharing.

If we are in a bad moment...

Best, and thanks for the story.

Nicolas.

I loved reading it and what a great end to the story, it could so easily have been very different, if the gent had just discarded it with the rest of the rubbish!!!

This was a fantastic story but I have to say I must soft my hat to you. YOU are a GREAT part of the story as you were an honest broker and did not take advantage of the situation which I feel many would have done. It is heart warming to hear a story like that. I am sure this was like winning the lottery for the man in question and its a great punch line. 

It is good to know that there are people like you out there.

Oliver