Patek Philippe heralds expanded production premises in Geneva

In the last quarter of a century, Patek Philippe’s business evolved and grew so exponentially that the brand needed more space for its collections.

As complicated watches account for nearly half of its entire collection and a demanding customer-centric development philosophy results in a growing average number of components per watch, plans for a new production building were long in the making.

Today, with its newly expanded production building in the outskirts of Geneva, Switzerland, Patek Philippe can now bring all of its Génevois ateliers under one roof — a tremendous advantage, given the growing complexity of output operations. With the modern structure’s impressive dimensions — 10 storeys and nearly 200m in length — the 1996 building complex is set for the next 20 to 30 years of growth.

The total investment was CHF600 million ($887 million) for its interiors and avant-garde technical resources. The interior spaces in the new building are divided into five segments that focus on production and manual finissage of movement parts, machining, manual polishing, assembling of exterior parts such as cases and bracelets, and gem-setting.

In addition to the production of the current collection, these ateliers are also responsible for crafting the inventory of spare parts needed by its customer service department, a key success factor for Patek Philippe. Antique timepieces are restored here, too.

The centre accommodates further production-related departments such as R&D in the fields of new materials and new technologies (Patek Philippe Advanced Research), an haute horlogerie department, a new unit for prototyping operations, as well as facilities for further evolving and handing-down of the rare handcrafts skills that Patek Philippe has actively promoted, namely manual engraving, enamelling, guilloching and wood micro marquetry.

Meanwhile, the completion of the structure is being celebrated with the commemorative launch of the Ref. 6007 Calatrava in steel with an exclusive design concept, which will be limited to 1,000 pieces. It stands out with its case and broad-cambered bezel in polished steel, a rare material in Patek Philippe’s collections that is particularly coveted among connoisseurs.

Visit www.patek.com for more information.