Here’s to Us
Patek Philippe’s deep reverence and understanding of Southeast Asia comes through in these special limited editions.
PATEK PHILIPPE’S RELATIONSHIP with Singapore stretches back to the 1960s. The city state had only just gained independence then, but the Genevan manufacture was already here. “It was my grandfather who brought Patek Philippe to Singapore in the ’60s,” says Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe. “He met with the families behind The Hour Glass and Cortina Watch, who were (among) the first to sell watches here.”
Together, they grew and so did the luxury watch market. Over the decades there developed something more than a business relationship; there was a bond. Says Stern: “We are a family business, we stay as a family. This is something very unique today. Relationships, quality, and also I would say having fun.”
He continues: “When you do business you need to enjoy what you do. My grandfather was very good at that, my father as well, and me today I’m doing exactly the same with the younger generation. The Tays (who run The Hour Glass) and the Lims (who helm Cortina Watch), we’ve known each other since we were young, we respect each other.”
As friends, as people who are passionate about watches, as people who are building their family businesses, Stern works very closely with
Patek Philippe’s small but tight retailers’ network. Those who are privileged enough to represent Patek Philippe realise quickly enough that this is not a brand that’s in it for the money, but rather, because of a love for watches and respect for the artisans. This is why Patek Philippe is different from all other manufactures.
This is also why the Patek Philippe Watch Art
Grand Exhibition was such an important event to
Stern and his family. First staged in Dubai in 2012, the show followed up in Munich a year later. Then in 2015 it went to London, and in 2017, New York. In 2019, joining Singapore in celebrating its bicentenary, Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition came to the little red dot, setting up camp at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands.
Stern explains: “For me it’s important to be here because this is an exhibition about educating people first. It’s not something commercial. Most of the people we’ve seen here are collectors of course, amazing people who know Patek Philippe sometimes more than I do. They come because they love the brand. Not
everybody gets a chance to visit our manufacture in Geneva so we have to bring Geneva to Singapore.”
Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore is the biggest edition of the five and took the company two years to prepare. But all that effort is worth it, says Stern. He stresses: “The entire Southeast Asian region is very important to Patek Philippe.
These customers deserve to have this Patek Philippe exhibition here. They are good clients, passionate and they’ve been waiting for it. They are our best ambassadors. I’ve seen some of our top clients taking friends and touring the exhibition, explaining the watches, what Patek Philippe is about, and so on and that means a lot to us. Even if you’re at the top, you always need to invest and promote your brand.”
A Singapore 200th Anniversary Room stands this exhibition apart from the ones before and it offers a glimpse of the role of Singapore as a hub of trade and a centre of culture, as well as the indigenous flora and fauna of the region. In addition, timepieces from the Patek Philippe Museum featuring unique landscapes and pocket watches owned by royalty such as King Rama V of Thailand were on proud display.
But perhaps what Patek Philippe collectors were most excited about were the special limitededition watches made expressly for the Southeast Asian market. And Stern most definitely did not hold back on his admiration for this part of the world. If these watches demonstrated anything, it was Patek Philippe’s deep reverence for the collectors here and its rich understanding of Southeast Asian culture.
Of the six contemporary pieces, three are grand complications and all but one are dressed in red. A skeletonised minute repeater tourbillon issued in just 12 pieces cased in rose gold with white gold intarsias. A 300-piece world timer chronograph featuring Singapore in place of Beijing on the cities’ ring with a stunning smoky red enamel dial. A five-piece world time minute repeater with a map of Singapore done in cloisonne enamel. These are the stars of the show.
Recognising that a lot of its customers enjoy sharing their passion for watches with their spouses and family, Patek Philippe released a pair of red Aquanauts cased in steel, plus a touch of diamonds for the ladies.
The 37.5mm Calatrava Pilot Travel Time on the other hand comes in a chic blue-grey hue that’s not
These watches demonstrated Patek Philippe’s deep reverence for the collectors here and its rich
understanding of Southeast Asian culture.
immediately characteristic of Singapore until you remember that this is an aviation watch and recalls the soothing sea views as seen through an airplane window. It’s a sight we probably take for granted but one that definitely did not elude Patek Philippe’s creative team, which is headed by Sandrine Stern.
And then there’s an entire smorgasbord of rare handcraft timepieces. One-of-a-kind wristwatches, pocket watches, table clocks and the famous
Patek Philippe dome clocks featuring breathtaking metiers d’art, some of which go back more than four centuries. The creative team has even combined some of these crafts, blending them with technical prowess and artistic flair, interpreting them through a contemporary lens.
One striking example is the set of six table clocks paying homage to the six key capital cities of Southeast Asia: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok and Hanoi.
The artisans replicated a map of the city centre in grand feu cloisonne enamel using 3.7m of cut flat gold wire and nine mostly transparent enamel colours in various blends.
On the importance of giving this event a Southeast Asian theme rather than just focusing on one country, Stern remarks: “When you have such a big exhibition you should really look at the bigger picture. I cannot do it just for one single market such as Singapore because it wouldn’t be fair. I think the entire region deserves it. Of course for Patek Philippe, Singapore is the hub of Southeast Asia but we are working in all six areas, so it was important for me to do this for everyone.”
Stern’s egalitarian approach is echoed by the exhibition, which is open to the public with free access to all. Yet of course not everybody who attends can afford even the most entry-level Patek Philippe.
He says: “I’ve met a few people here who told me that buying a Patek Philippe is their dream, but they’re not there yet. They also now understand Patek Philippe has a certain value and it’s value they can keep and maybe transmit to their kids in future. That’s what I like. Maybe in the future I will give them the passion to start a collection. Or maybe to own just one. And that’s already enough.”