PARMIGIANI

There are two sides to Parmigiani : the restauration of antique clocks and watches on a side and on the other side the creation of the speciales pieces and collection of the Parmigiani Fleurier brand. Parmigiani is establish in the small town of Fleurier in the Neuchâtel region of the jura.

PATEK PHILIPPE

The Company known today as Patek Philippe was founded in Geneva in 1839, by an exiled Polish Nobleman. Count Antoine Norbert de Patek and his compatriot Francois Czapek. The earliest watches were signed Patek, Czapek & co. until 1845 when Czapek left the partnership. Several years later the company was joined by French watchmaker , Jean Adrien Philippe, who later became the inventor of their famous stem-winding and hand setting mechanism, a modern and reliable concept. From May 1845 to January 1851 the firm was known as Patek & Co; Philippe lent his name to the company in 1851 when he became a full partner. Among the reasons for their initial success was the high standard of watch making and practicality of Philippe's new stem-winding system. In the early years of partnership.

Queen Victoria of England herself was already a client. From the middle of the 19th century, Patek Philippe assumed a leading role in the Swiss watchmaking industry by raising the standards of workmanship and time keeping through the introduction of technical improvements (the free mainspring, the sweep seconds hand), in addition to implementing improvements to regulators, chronographs, and perpetual calendar mechanism. As early as 1867 the Paris Exhibition, Patek Philippe displayed watches featuring functions that were to become the standard for complicated watches at the beginning of the 20th century; namely a perpetual calendar, a repeater, and a chronograph with split-seconds.

The two most complicated watches of all time were made by Patek Philippe. The first, made for Henry Graves Jr. New York, was completed at the beginning of the century, and the second, the Caliber 89, the world's most complicated watch, completed in 1989 (hence the name) to mark the firm's 150th anniversary. In 1932, Patek Philippe changed hands, and its new owners became Charles and Jean Stern. Today the third generation of this family sill owns and manages the company. Shortly after world war II, Patek Philippe established an electronic division, and in the 1950's the company pioneered quartz technology, filling several patents and winning multiple awards. Today, Patek Philippe SA, Geneva, is still a family company, owned jointly by its president, Mr Henry Stern, and his son and Vice President, Mr Philippe Stern. The firm has traditionally made complete timepieces, watches and clocks, employing craftsmen who are master-watchmakers capable of designing and finishing the most complicated watch movements.

Other specialists such as goldsmiths, chainsmiths, enamellers, jewelers, and engravers complete the firm's manufacturing capabilities. Although Patek Philippe is rightly famous of the leading manufacture of mechanical horology, the firm is also the forefront of the industry as producers of industrial and electronic timekeepers, with its highly accurate master-clocks installed in power stations, hospitals, airports, and other public buildings and factories. The firm clientele has included many of the famous figures across history, including royalty such as Queen Victoria, as well as distinguished scientists, artists, authors and musicians, including Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Charlotte Bronte and Tchaikovsky. Today, clearly most of the firm's production consists of wristwatches, but Patek Philippe retains the ability to produce pocket watches,and clocks to order, from highly complicated movements to those decorated with enamelled miniature paintings and engravings. The company continues to patent new inventions and improvements in horology and plays an important role in maintaining the quality , prestige and reputation of the Swiss watchmaking.

PERRELET

Abraham-Louis Perrelet embarked on finding the solution to a common problem - forgetting to win one's watch.



Applying his technical and artistic talents, A-L Perrelet had a brilliant idea : he went on to perfect the rotor type oscillating weight, which pivoted at the center of the watch, and which did not have a buffer to stop the movement. The automatic watch with oscillating rotor was born.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN

One of the greatest names in Swiss watchmaking, Vacheron & Constantin is the archetype of the Prestige Swiss Watch Company. Vacheron & Constantin, along with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, make up the classic Trinity of 20th century Swiss watch brands.

 With a customer list in their Golden Book that reads like a veritable World Who's Who of the past two and a half centuries, Vacheron and Constantin's pedigree and recognized brand cachet is without question. That they have maintained their position at the apex of the watchmaking firmament throughout their existence, across the years and spanning the generations, makes their reputation all the more impressive.

Few watchmaking houses have tourbillons of this pedigree and legitimacy, with Girard-Perregaux having a rich heritage with this complication since the 19th century. This year, the three distinctive bridges make their way into the Art Deco-inspired 1945 Vintage case in an unusual skeletal design.

With the sapphire caseback, the entire movement takes on a transparent quality. Note that the bridge configuration of this watch means that the barrel, gear train and escapement are all arranged along the same axis.

This is both technically significant – and has been since the design premiered in 1860 – and aesthetically inimitable. It takes seven days of work per watch to achieve the finish on the bridges. It is only available in pink gold.

Vacheron Constantin Quai de l’Ile

Vacheron Constantin explores more of its potential with an entire new collection that allows it to do what no other watch brand has ever accomplished. 

Named after the street their own maison was founded on by Jean-Marc Vacheron, this collection is really one watch but, in a stroke of unrivalled cleverness, it is also many watches.

Each watch’s basic looks may be altered, according to Vacheron Constantin, at the point of sale itself, thus generating a whole new watch.

Presumably, qualified technicians must do this because the average person still cannot remake the watch. Just how many variations are there? Vacheron Constantin says more than 400 and the illustration provided will give you some idea of how they accomplish this.

The other fait accompli here is the introduction of state-of-the-art anti-forgery measures – the very same techniques employed to create and safeguard currency. In a suitably inspired move, these measures have been transformed into art by the great house. More needs to be said about this piece and we will be returning to it in our SIHH special.