Patek Philippe - First Maison Patek Philippe in China
After more than two years of restoration and significant revamping, Patek Philippe is opening the first Maison Patek Philippe in China in the historic Bund area of Shanghai. This new exclusive venue marks seven years of growing success in the Chinese market developed with long-standing partner Melchers Group. The company's presence in China began with the inauguration of a Patek Philippe Boutique in Shanghai in 2005, now to be replaced by the Maison Patek Philippe, and of a second Boutique in Beijing in 2008. The Maison Patek Philippe will offer Chinese watch collectors and enthusiasts an intimate place to share views and knowledge of fine timepieces as well as to experience the exceptional brand heritage of the famous Genevan watchmaking company.
Opening Ceremony of the Maison Patek Philippe
The official opening ceremony of the Maison Patek Philippe was hosted by Patek Philippe's Honorary President Philippe Stern, alongside current President Thierry Stern and Managing Director Claude Peny, in the presence of Zhou Wei, Mayor of the Huangpu District, and Matthias Claussen, Managing Partner of Melchers Group. "The new site of the Maison Patek Philippe has a unique geographical advantage and cultural background. We wish to demonstrate our brand history and values to a growing number of watch lovers in China. Buying a Patek Philippe watch is also about sharing the passion and dedication of several generations of a family-owned watch company," said Thierry Stern.
The ceremony took place at Shanghai's Waitanyuan Cultural Square situated behind the Maison Patek Philippe. Attending guests and government officials had the opportunity to discover the world of Patek Philippe in Geneva through a 3D projection "mapping show" on the building's façade. It conveyed a sense of the brand's identity and traditions embedded in a universe recreated at the Maison Patek Philippe in Shanghai. In the grandstand structure built for the event, guests were invited to enter the world of Patek Philippe in Geneva, complete with live lake views recreating the outlook from the Geneva Salon's 5th floor. In special themed workshops, guests enjoyed a demonstration of the sublime sounds of minute repeaters presented by trained watchmakers and explored a unique exhibition of the chronograph collection - a truly memorable experience for watch lovers.
A Patek Philippe Home Away From Home
The Maison Patek Philippe creates, for the first time in Asia, a venue serving a similar function as a Patek Philippe Salon. It highlights a remarkable display of beautiful timepieces with an invitation to experience the legendary history and values of Patek Philippe as well as its outstanding customer service. In this distinguished location of Shanghai, the first Maison Patek Philippe bears a unique status and architectural style that will delight enthusiasts of beauty and art.
As opposed to the existing Patek Philippe Salons in Geneva, Paris and London, the main purpose of the Maison Patek Philippe in Shanghai is to bridge the vast geographical distance between Europe and China and create a new Patek Philippe home away from home. "We want to welcome our Chinese guests in a place that is unlike any boutique or shop, one where they will feel totally at home, personally hosted by Patek Philippe," said Philippe Stern. "This marks our intention to enhance our service-oriented market strategy along with our brand's commitment to China."
With the upgrading of the Service Center in Shanghai, Patek Philippe reaffirms its long-term dedication to offer professional service to Chinese customers. The new Customer Service Center, with its entirely independent space of nearly 1,000 square meters situated near the Maison, has been significantly improved to guarantee consistent business operations and customer service following the strict standards specified by the Geneva headquarters.
Beautiful Architecture and Interior Decoration
The Maison Patek Philippe is located in the historic Bund area, a neo-classical and colonial style district offering spectacular views of Shanghai. It shares ground with the former British Consulate built in 1849 and embodies a blend between Chinese and Western cultures. The Maison Patek Philippe is housed in the former British Consul's Residence, a building that dates back to 1884, at No. 33 Waitanyuan, on the converging point of two rivers. Shanghai opened up its port to foreign trade at this historical starting point. Great care was taken in the restoration phase to preserve the original two-story wood and brick structure of Roman and Corinthian styles, thus restoring the former brilliance of a historic landmark in Shanghai.
As is a tradition in the family-owned company, Gerdi Stern, wife of Philippe Stern and mother of Thierry Stern, put her whole heart into the interior decoration of this new Patek Philippe home. All the furniture and artistic ornaments come from Switzerland, France and Italy, adding a touch of grace and nobility. The invitingly warm salon atmosphere is reminiscent of the classical elegance of Napoleon III, accented with Louis XVI antiques. Crystal chandeliers tailor-made by Bagues, a purveyor to the French royal court, were installed in the halls and display rooms. The showcases are built in wood and finished with paint and gilding. Every detail and work of art was carefully selected to allow visitors to experience the Patek Philippe universe of aesthetics, culture and hospitality.
Covering an area of 1,227 square meters on two floors, the Maison Patek Philippe spans nine rooms including the main exhibition hall, which accommodates the complete Patek Philippe current collection, the largest collection on display in Asia.
Special Collection of Timepieces
To commemorate the opening of the Maison Patek Philippe, the brand organized a special one-month exhibition displaying twenty-two rare handcrafted objects of art including a cloisonne enameled Dome table clock, a Dome table clock in hand-engraved Baccarat crystal, a hand-engraved pocket watch and two unique Haute Joaillerie wristwatches. All of these timepieces are unique treasures of art that traveled from Geneva to Shanghai to celebrate the inauguration of the Maison Patek Philippe.
Moreover, Patek Philippe specially designed a limited edition series of four commemorative watches in platinum celebrating the Year of the Dragon with a cloisonne enameled dial featuring a Dragon motif. In addition, a special Shanghai World Time model was created in a limited edition of 50 pieces, 25 pieces in rose gold and 25 pieces in white gold with a 24-timezone dial indicating Shanghai in red instead of the usual time zone indication of Hong Kong.
The legendary Star Caliber 2000 timepiece was also brought from Geneva to Shanghai for the inauguration ceremony. With 21 complications, this exceptional timepiece is the world's third most complicated pocket watch. These special watches highlight the rare and superb traditional craftsmanship, technical innovation and legendary timelessness for which the brand stands.
Patek Philippe - Touring an intense Manufacture.
Viewed from the outside, things look pretty straightforward. Between its sky-high auction value, its concern for quality, its mastery of horological complications and its considerable independence, Patek Philippe is quite simply the most prestigious watch brand of them all. Fair enough, one might well debate the truth and particularly the scope of this statement, since grandeur may reveal itself in a number of different ways within the watch industry. But to cut to the chase, let's say it's one of the top three most prestigious brands. This view is steadily becoming firmly established in people's minds as an obvious fact, at the risk of making them somewhat blase… Until the day one actually sets foot in the Manufacture located in Plan-les-Ouates on the outskirts of Geneva. Anyone seriously interested in watchmaking is naturally keen to take a closer look at the production facilities of the major brands that open their doors to visitors. And one might even be tempted to think that one such factory tour is very much like another. While it is true that the processes, the sequences of events and the general pattern of such visits are similar, everything in fact lies in the details and the ways of doing things are definitely never identical. That is why discovering Patek Philippe's production is a unique experience that proves to be a genuinely head-turning, eye-popping treat.
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It is simply impossible to describe this tour in detail. The profusion of objects and operations prevents any coherent narrative summary, so we will have to stick to a conceptual summary. Patek Philippe has attained a degree of production autonomy that is virtually unique; a level of development quality that places it in a league of its own; and meticulous craftsmanship that while perhaps not unequalled definitely stands out by its sheer breadth and depth. No other brand produces such a variety and quantity of Grande Complication watches; no other brand at this level of prestige has so many tools and machines. Patek Phillippe blanks, cuts, burnishes and polishes its wheels, pinions, plates, bridges, springs, levers… and even its screws! Is independence an end in itself? Only if it serves to guarantee execution on a par with its demanding standards that would otherwise be unattainable.
Unusual
In response to my astonished reaction to his explanations, my guide kept saying: "sure, obviously". To which I repeatedly replied: "there's definitely nothing obvious about it". What he considered as standard practice in fact denoted exceptional concern for details and complexity. Among a number of examples, Patek Philippe uses only a single spark erosion machine, serving to cut out parts that are too thin to be machined by a milling-cutter that cuts into the material. In a comparably sized factory, especially one producing so many Grande Complication models, one would expect to find around five of them. Patek Philippe has in fact taken the quality of its machining to such a high level that it can produce even the most detailed parts using tools that others would consider too unwieldy. The same goes for profile turning: Patek Philippe uses exclusively computer numerically controlled profile-turning machines. The size of its series, meaning the maximum number of identical parts, is so small that standard cam-type profile-turning machines (which are heavy, reliable, stable and widely appreciated) are simply not suitable - offering eloquent proof that the diversity of its production attains heights rarely seen elsewhere.
Diversity
However, even more distinctly than the manufacturing and assembly operations relating to the movement, cases are the true gems in Patek Philippe's production crown. And this is not due to the army of polishers, although they naturally play an important role. Nor is it because of the number of operations involved in shaping the cases, creating all manner of barely noticeable design elements. Once again, the core of the matter lies in the uncompromisingly rigorous approach implemented across the board. Which other brand can claim to such a large and fully occupied gemsetting workshop? Or to such a variety of precious dial-making methods ranging from grand feu enamelling to miniature enamelling along with guilloche motifs and pantographic reproduction? The brand applies the full force of its considerable expertise and resources to all stages in production. Witness the technical department that comprises no less than 110 people, including those involved in prototyping. New models are developed in six years, compared with the industry norm of around three. Talk about perfectionists!
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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