Patek Philippe was founded in 1839, by exiled Polish nobleman Count Antoine Norbert de Patek and compatriot Francois Czapek in Geneva. The watches were originally signed Patek, Czapek & co, but....
Czapek left the company in 1845. French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe joined the company years later and became a full partner in 1851 and Patek Philippe was born. By 1867, Patek Philippe was showing watches that were far more complicated than its competitors, setting the standards for the perpetual calendar, the repeater, and a chronograph with split-seconds. These and many other innovations were made famous by the partnership, and Patek Philippe has a longstanding history of unmatched standards in craftsmanship and technical improvements that were passed onto the new owners, Charles and Jean Stern in 1932. Since then, the company has remained family-owned and the timepieces’ strong resiliency over generations has solidified Patek Philippe’s position at the top of haute horlogerie.