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Brief Brand History for Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe was established in 1851 between Antoine Patek and Jean A Philippe. This duo layed the foundation which allowed Patek Philippe to dominate the Swiss watch industry for over 150 years. In 1863 they invented the "free mainspring" that lead to the invention of the automatic watch. In 1889 they invent a special "Perpetual Calendar" which for the first time, keeps track of how many days in each month and knows when it's leap year. The split second chronograph is patented by Patek in 1902. 30 years later, the last family members seek out caretakers to direct the company and sell the firm to the Stern family who still own the brand today. The Stern family have been conscientious protectors of the virtues that make Patek Philippe the best and the status and regard of the world of connoisseurs and collectors has never been higher. Fifty of the fifty-three highest prices ever paid for watches at auction were Patek Phillipe.
product line overview
Since the 1930's, Patek Philippe has launched an incredible array of best selling models. The classic "Calatrava" was born in 1932. Since then, they have made many popular models that include the "World Time", "Travel Time", "Nautilus", "Aquanaut", and the "Annual Calendar". 1999 saw the birth of the now famous lady's watch "The Twenty-4". In 2001 Patek issued the incredible "Sky Moon Tourbillon" that shows a complete replica of the night sky in whatever region is choosen by it's owner. Next Patek launched the "Celestial". In 2003, the 10 Day Tourbillon was launched. In 2005, Patek has begun to retire some of it's stars only to re-issue them in more modern sized cases. A new annual calendar Chronograph with a modern display has caught the market's fancy and references 5980P and 5960P are selling at 30% over suggested retail.
essential watches "market assessment"
At the pinnacle of Swiss watch manufacturing one brand stands alone in prestige and that is Patek Phillipe. Patek Philippe truly is the king of all Swiss watches. Patek demand has never been stronger - many current models sell for way over retail. Most of the line can be bought for as much as 20 - 25%. The market for preowned pieces is incredibly strong right now.
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