Patek Philippe

Tiffany Unveils New Patek Philippe Salon in its Flagship NYC Store

 

On April 24, 2008 Patek Philippe has opened its first salon in the United States.  The salon is located inside Tiffany's flagship store in New York City.  This partnership is a testament to a relationship that began with a handshake between the founders over 150 years ago.  The salon is located on the Mezzanine Level, and consists of 3,000 square feet Patek's unique and most sought after timepieces.  French designer Patrick Gaguech, created an Art Deco inspired interior with the influences of thirties designer Jaques-Emile Ruhlmann.  The salon is fitted with customer consultation areas, private sales salon, museum area, library and sitting room, and is designed with paneling, custom furnishings and cabinetry in Indian palisander (rosewood) and burled maple, with wrought iron and alabaster details.  In addition, a studio for on-site repairs is visible through a retractable mirror in the sitting room.

The salon will feature a permanent collection of museum timepieces on loan from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.  These pieces will rotate approximately once per year.  The items will include exquisitely enameled pocket watches, and dome clocks, as well as a variety of timepieces owned by celebrated individuals. The Patek Philippe salon at Tiffany & Co. joins the watchmakers existing salons located in Geneva, London, Paris, and Shanghai.

In conjunction with the opening of the salon, Patek Philippe is hosting a three-day exhibition from April 24 through April 26, 2008 titled "The Values of a Family Watch Company."  The exhibit will also travel to Beverly Hills, where it will be staged at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons hotel for a period running May 16 through May 18, 2008.  This exhibit showcases Patek Philippe's illustrious 169 year history, and will provide the public a glimpse into the most complete and comprehensive set of Patek Philippe timepieces ever showcased outside of Switzerland.  The exhibition will feature over 4,000 square feet of space designed to showcase some 400 legendary timepieces.  Many of these timepieces have never traveled outside of the Patek Philippe museum in Switzerland.  The exhibit will feature a series of timepieces categories, which include a selection of rare movements, grand complications, specialty watches such as minute repeaters, enameled domed clocks exclusively created for this event, and the US premiere of the 2008 Basel Collection. Among the prestigious timepieces to be featured include:

- Star Caliber 2000, a pocket watch created to mark the millennium and combining 21 complications with 6 patented inventions.

- The First Swiss Wristwatch, manufactured by Patek Philippe in 1868 and featuring a key-winding and hand-setting system.

- "La Madonna della Sedia," a pocket watch manufactured in 1850 highlighting enamel work by renowned artist, Gaspard Lamuniere (1810-1865)

"The Values of a Family Watch Company" features some of the most coveted timepieces, and provides a close look inside the world of Patek Philippe.

From a personal standpoint, and after having visited both the exhibition and Tiffany & Co. Patek Philippe salon, I must say this is one first class event and venue.  I entered the exhibit through an elevator located at the back end of the entrance floor inside Tiffany & Co. main show room.  As I entered the elevator destined for the 5th floor, and "The Values of a Family Watch Company" exhibit, I looked up and to my amazement stood the man himself, Mr. Philippe Stern.  He was very polite as I introduced myself to him and expressed my appreciation for Patek Philippe.  He was even so gracious as to stop what he was doing and take photographs.  By the way he was delighted to hear that I was attending on behalf of The PuristS.  Just as I exited the elevator, and Mr. Stern’s company, I was greeted by a friendly Patek Philippe/Tiffany & Co. staff handing out brochures chronicling the exhibit and current catalog.  Immediately after entering the main exhibit, a delightful gentleman by the name of Matthew from the Henri Stern Watch Agency greeted me and offered to assist in touring the event. 

The event consisted of a main room which highlighted the Basel Collection from 2008, as well as Patek's contemporary offerings.  In the middle of the main room stood a watch makers bench and one of Patek's master watch makers, who was offering demonstrations and answering watch enthusiasts questions.  To the rear was a small room set up to house some of Patek Philippe's most complicated pieces.  Patek' Philippe's "holly grail" of watches, the Sky Moon Tourbillion, stood proudly on display next to the Celestial, another Patek masterpiece. This was my personal favorite to look at, as I remember when I first started my interest in horology, it was the Sky Moon Tourbillion that astonished me most.  Than to see this watch in person was an absolute treat, and one every Patek fan should experience if possible.  The last room that we entered displayed some 70 historical museum pieces that highlighted this event.  Another of my personal favorites in this room was the Calatrava Ref. 96 circa 1934.  This piece was the inspiration for the current 5296g 001 which is the modern version of this piece. (By the way I am now on my way to purchasing this piece) Also, on display here is the first Patek Philippe wrist watch with a perpetual calendar complication circa 1925.  There are too many interesting and historical pieces to name here. That is why it is best to view the exhibit for yourself, when and if you get a chance.

After viewing the exhibit, I ventured down to the Mezzanine level to take a gander at the new salon.  It is very nice inside, with a distinctively Art deco design, and old world meets modern world feel.  The staff here was extremely friendly, and greeted me with smiles and offerings of assistance.  Denise, the General Manager of the salon welcomed me, and then turned me over to an experienced watch consultant who showed me the rounds.  The salon was very well staffed and had a great layout.  Their is a main room, a sitting room (which will later house a library), and a private consultation room for VIP guests.  Later on in the tour I met up with Katie Reed, the VP of Public Relations for Patek Philippe NA.  She was very informative, and expressed her interest in the importance of maintaining customer relations through online forums such as the PurstSPro.  I also ran into a gentleman Patek enthusiast who flew in all the way from Minnesota to attend this event.  His collection was quite impressive, as well as his love for Patek Philippe. He expressed his interest and appreciation for our forum, which I thought was pretty impressive in itself, and made me feel good.

All in all, I left this event today with an even greater appreciation and satisfaction for the Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. brands.  These fine ladies and gentleman are working ever so hard to please and live up to our standards for fine timepieces here in the United States.  So, with all of this in mind, I encourage you to pay a visit to these fine people at the Tiffany & Co. Patek Philippe salon in New York City.

In conclusion, I have included some photos of the event at the bottom of the page.  I was not able to include any photos of the salon per Tiffany policy, however I am working with Tiffany’s to get clearance through the PR dept. to take these photos at a later date.  Also, please excuse my photos, I am still a novice at photography.

Please note, information contained in this article is sourced directly from Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. press releases.

"The Values of a Family Watch Company" Main Floor Exhibit

Patek Master Watch Maker Giving Demonstrations and Answering Questions

The Watch Makers Tools

A Watch Makers Bench

Philippe Stern and Myself.  Mr. Stern is a real gentleman and a true giant of the industry.

Basel 2008: 5396G Annual Calendar

Basel 2008: 5070P Chronograph w/ Blue Metallic Sunburst DIal

Basel 2008: 5131 World Time w/ Enamel Dial

Basel 2008: 5167/1 Aquanaut Extra Large 40mm

Basel 2008: 5124 Gondolo w/ Vintage Rose Dial in White Gold

Basel 2008: 5959P Black Lacquered Dial

Basel 2008: 5078 Platinum Minute Repeater Black Lacquered Dial

Sky Moon Tourbillion Side Profile

Sky Moon Tourbillion

Celestial

Museum Exhibit: Jack Daniel Watch Circa 1891

Museum Exhibit: Calatrava Re. 570 circa 1941 (Inspiration for the current 5196P)

Museum Exhibit: The First Patek Philippe Wrist Watch with Perpetual Calendar circa 1925

Museum Exhibit: Calatrava Ref. 96 circa 1934 (Inspiration for the current 5296g 001)

This message has been edited by sdd7820 on 2008-04-26 02:18:30 This message has been edited by sdd7820 on 2008-04-26 19:34:16

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