We visit the new Patek Philippe central building in Geneva
We visit the new Patek Philippe central building in Geneva
Patek Philippe, the most renowned watchmaker in the world, represented in Navarre by Montiel Jewelers, has recently opened its new and grandiose production building. Located in Plan-les-Ouates, near Geneva, this construction has made it possible to bring together all the Patek Philippe workshops of Geneva in one place. It is a solution to the increasing complexity of the company’s production needs. Likewise, a significant area has been dedicated to the specialized workshops for artisan trades and training classes. Thanks to its impressive dimensions, this new building (which complements the one erected in 1996) was designed to anticipate the company’s growth for the next 20-30 years. The brand thus has reaffirmed its roots in Geneva and its confidence in the future of fine watchmaking combining tradition and innovation.
In 1996, Patek Philippe became a pioneer by inaugurating a new manufacturing facility of extraordinary dimensions in Plan-les-Ouates under the auspices of the then president, Philippe Stern. The company was the first watchmaking brand to settle down in this commune of Geneva – a commune which today is known colloquially as “Plan-les-Watches.” The aim was to bring together under one roof the different activities spread over more than ten locations in the city and to secure the necessary production tools to guarantee the firm’s long-term independence. But despite its generous design, the building quickly became too small due to the rate of expansion of the company’s manufacturing needs. In 2003, Patek Philippe relocated their department that manufactures cases and bands and sets gems to the nearby town of Perly. In 2009, the company expanded the Plan-les-Ouates site and transformed an existing commercial property into the workshops that manufacture the components for movements.
When the new building project was launched, Thierry Stern, the president of the company since 2009, set out a dual goal: to return to Plan-les-Ouates the workshops that had been set up in Perly and to satisfy the growing need for space, in particular space for production and training. The goal was never to drastically increase the number of watches manufactured each year (currently almost 62,000 pieces) – a number which remains voluntarily limited, albeit due to the extremely demanding quality standards set by the Patek Philippe seal. For the last independent Geneva factory still in the hands of a single family, the goal has always been more about securing a tool for efficient and rational production that allows the company to face the challenges of the present and the future.
Over the past quarter century, the Patek Philippe permanent collection has evolved considerably. Complicated watches today represent almost half of the models in their collection. “Useful complications” (proprietary annual calendar, weekly calendar, dual time zones, universal time, etc.) have become more and more important, increasing the number of specific mechanisms. Patek Philippe’s philosophy for creation, which is fully geared towards the user, has also led to the development of systems designed to make the handling of the watch simple, secure, and reliable – especially for the more sophisticated complications. As a result, production requires an ever-increasing average number of components per watch. The need to expand production space is due, on the one hand, to Patek Philippe’s decision to keep the collection as varied as possible (simple watches, small complications, bigger complications, “elegant sport” models, ladies’ watches, fine jewelry watches, etc.). On the other hand, it is because the watchmaker has a range of more than 160 different models, all made in small series that go from a dozen pieces to a few hundred units equipped with a wide range of movements – all of which are created in the Plan-les-Ouates facilities.
The new Patek Philippe building is noteworthy especially because of its impressive size: 189 meters long, 67 meters wide, and 33 meters high (measured from ground level) with ten floors, four of which are underground. The building is also distinguished by its contemporary architectural style, aimed at lastingly marking the landscape of Plan-les-Ouates with large glass areas, white polished concrete corridors that run the length of the façades, as well as bronze-colored fire escapes that are reminiscent of New York’s architecture. All this gives it the appearance of a huge ocean liner with refined shapes. Like Patek Philippe watches, this modest nature is combined with very delicate details such as the slight horizontal curvature of the corridors (reminiscent of the smoothed octagonal design of the legendary Nautilus case) and the fire escape railings with a shape inspired by leaf watch hands.
The total investment made in the building amounts to 600 million Swiss francs, of which 500 million were used for construction and the remaining 100 went to state-of-the-art technical equipment and machinery. The work’s completion was celebrated with the launch of a commemorative watch from the Calatrava collection made in steel (reference number 6007), which features an exclusive design and a limited series of 1,000 pieces.
The Museum
Although the interior of the new production building is not open to the public, fans of haute horlogerie do have a unique space where they can discover the treasures of this and other manufactures: the Patek Philippe Museum, opened in 2001 in a fully restored Art Deco building in the Plainpalais area of Geneva.
With the idea of offering a journey through time, the museum proposes symbolic “visits” to some of the most exciting times of watchmaking – from the ancient watches and clocks of the Renaissance, with their iron mechanisms, to sumptuous miniatures; from the most beautiful enameled cases to technical complications that exceed the imaginable. The collection is made up of some 2,000 pieces, as well as an impressive library with almost 8,000 books devoted to the study of time, astronomy, and watchmaking.
The museum is divided into two complementary themes: the first has to do with the beginnings and history of “portable” watchmaking, from 1530 to 1850. There, visitors can admire watches of all European origins and manufactures, mainly German, French, English, and –of course– Swiss. The other theme is dedicated exclusively to watches created by Patek Philippe. Chronologically, this exhibition begins with the first pieces from 1839, the year Antoine Norbert de Patek founded Patek, Czapek & Cie with his Polish compatriot, François Czapek. This section is living testament to the entire history of Patek Philippe, its inventions, complications, and patents – all accumulated by the manufacture over its 183 years of existence.
This private museum open to the public gives visitors the chance to discover and reminisce about the city’s great watchmaking tradition, a heritage aspect marked by Patek Philippe timepieces.
Patek Philippe
Montiel Joyero
Avenida Carlos III 50, Pamplona.
Tel.: +34 948 233 099
