Patek Philippe

In December 2015, Brad Pitt bought a wristwatch at an auction for the proud price of 5 million pounds, increasing its list price of 460,000 pounds many times over. The year before, the Hollywood star had already attracted attention as a watch lover when he gave his wife Angelina Jolie a wristwatch worth 250,000 pounds as a morning gift. The make? Patek Philippe - what else? A Patek Philippe is a watch for many lifetimes - its own and that of the next generations because "you never have a Patek Philipp for yourself alone!" Immortal and eternally young.

Patek Philippe luxury watches - a declaration of love to the respective time

A luxury brand like Patek Philippe makes it clear why the classic watch has lost none of its fascination over the course of time. Its substantial value is transmitted to the owner, who can feel a sense of belonging to a long cultural-historical history. In addition to its brilliant functionality and value-adding quality, it is also a reflection on time and the understanding of time. The most complex mechanics in consummate aesthetics. Almost all Patek Philippe movements have been manufactured in-house, and today the company can be proud of 21 basic calibers with 45 movement modifications. All models were certified with the Hallmark of Geneva, the Nobel Prize of the watch world, until 2009. Patek Philippe movements alone account for 95% of all models that appeared there for testing. Even the uninitiated can feel the magic of the noble brand when they see the most important Patek Philippe watches of the 20th century.

Stars are twinkling on the Patek Philippe trail of success:

• 1902 | Double Chronograph

• 1932 | Calatrava, the Patek Philippe classic quoting the 12th century knight's cross that today symbolizes the brand

• 1937 | Heure universelle (world time watch with 24 time zones)

• 1940 | Chronograph with perpetual calendar

• 1953 | First Patek Philippe with rotor winding system

• 1962 | World's first perpetual calendar with self-winding mechanism

• 1966 | Ellipse d'Or (designed according to the rules of the Golden Section)

• 1976 | Nautilus - from the atelier of the ingenious watch designer Gérald Genta

• 1989 | Anniversary watch Calibre 89 (150 years of Patek Philippe)

• 1989 | Twenty-4 - the ladies' wristwatch par excellence

• 2000 | Star Calibre 2000 (Millennium watch)

• 2002 | Sky Moon Tourbillon - the most complicated luxury watch since watches have existed

• 2014 | Anniversary Collection 5175-001 Grandmaster Chime in rose gold (the non-plus-ultra), a Grande Complication with acoustic date display and alarm function via minute repeater

Patek Philippe models also enrich the carefully compiled HORANDO offer. The experienced specialist for the purchase of luxury watches on the internet with the best worldwide networks agrees with the Swiss traditional manufacture not only in the claim to outstanding quality. HORANDO's self-commitment guarantees discerning buyers of luxury watches always fair conditions - even in the ultimate luxury segment.

Galactic, astronomic, universal

Oh yes - Patek Philippe has a permanent place in the belletage of haute horlogerie, even at the price level. Twenty models from the Geneva-based premium manufacture alone are among the most expensive luxury watches ever bought at auction and among the brands with the highest appreciation in value. Patek Philippe makes itself scarce and thus gets others hooked: already registered buyers wait impatiently up to two years for their copy from the annual manufacture harvest of 50,000 watches. There are only two (!) pieces of the legendary Sky Moon Tourbillon per year, which drives the desirability to the extreme, and with it the price (700,000 EUR). Historical Patek Philippe models achieve sensational increases in value as investments, which are difficult to top. In 2002, the precious "World Timer" from 1946 only passed into new hands at auction for 6.5 million Swiss francs. One can assume that it will lead a carefree and untroubled life of luxury in a velvet padded safe or behind bullet-proof glass and will only make a new owner happy through succession.

With a Patek Philippe on the Montblanc of watchmaking art

If the three- and four-thousand-meter peaks of the Alps could be named after watch manufacturers, Patek Philippe would probably be Montblanc, not least because of the glorious company tradition, which is also a history of leading entrepreneurial families. Spectacular inventions - from the modern crown winding mechanism (1845) to the annual calendar (1996) - line up among the 70 patents obtained. Historical models and exceptional exhibits of value difficult to estimate are gathered in the Patek Philippe Museum. The business connection of the Polish nobleman Antoine Norbert Count de Patek with the watchmaker Francois Czapek founded the later global company in 1839. After Czapek's retirement, French watchmaking pioneer Jean-Adrien Philippe steps into his corporate position. A clever move on the part of the Count, as the outstanding watch researcher Philippe was in the process of inventing the crown winding mechanism, which was to revolutionize the watchmaking world. Since 1851, the expansive company has been operating under the name of Patek Philippe. It welcomes the 20th century with an IPO. After the Great Depression, the brothers Charles and Jean Stern joined the company by acquiring a significant block of shares. Today, their descendants are responsible for the company's management in the fourth generation, together with Philippe Stern, President of the Manufacture. The fact that research and development are a top priority at Patek Philippe is demonstrated by the endowment of a chair at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and the expansion of the company's own development department to the tune of hundreds of millions.

Patek Philippe - mastery requires time and dedication

All premium watch manufacturers, of course, are committed to high and highest quality standards. But Patek Philippe always manages to outdo its competitors by a bit. The development team worked on the Patek Philippe Caliber 89 from the anniversary year 1989 for a full nine years. 33 complications and 1,728 individual components, 24 hands and 12 subdials on two sides of the case demonstrate the enormous technical finesse and accuracy that make this pocket watch an exemplary event. Other highlights: Minute repeater with large and small chiming movement, alarm, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, drag hand chronograph movement, other 20 complications. But before the Patek Philippe Nautilus lit up like a comet in the watchmaking sky in 1976, the luxury manufacturer's sports watches were still made of gold, manufactured in flat dimensions and with a discreetly elegant aesthetic. With the Nautilus, the law of the oceans applies: the brawny-looking luxury watch advances from shocker to design star. The model with the black-blue, fluted dial, which does not run out of breath at depths of up to 120 meters, triggers a special hype. Inside the filigree "porthole", a Gyromax balance with Spiromax hairspring ensures ultimate running performance amid 213 individual parts. Cost: 22,000 euros.The Patek Philippe Aquanaut claims a modern design with gentle curves and octagonal contours in combination with an elaborate case construction. From casual nonchalance and unpretentious elegance, it is ironically broken by its mix of materials. The diamond-set bezel and stainless steel case are found in communion with a watchband made of flexible high-tech composite material that promises robustness and durability, while at the same time being supple, comfortable and hypoallergenic to the skin. The 2014 Patek Philippe Anniversary Edition Grandmaster Chime 5175R-001 is reminiscent of beauties as they gaze at us in paintings from the French empires. The men's model in rose gold has everything a bourgeois emperor deserves: Solid gold dial, hand-stitched alligator strap, an opulent 47.4-mm diameter, silvered dials, reversible case with laurel leaf decorations, applied gold Roman numerals. Out of seven copies, six went on sale, one went to the museum.