The exhibition has the extensive rare handcrafts collection to date. It can be visited until June 26.
Wish we were in Geneva, at least until June 26th… No doubt that all watch enthusiasts think so, because nowadays Patek Philippe’s the most extensive rare handcrafts collection is on display in the Rue de Rhône 41, the historic headquarters of the brand.
The exhibition can be visited online, however, it was also stated that more watches could be seen in Geneva between June 16-26. The collection has more than 75 watches, including wrist watches, pocket watches, table clocks, domed watches and six of them are brand new editions that were created this year. This exhibition is the extensive exhibition in Geneva because of the pandemic: Indeed, the brand, which planned to open an extensive exhibition last year with 70 new watches, some of which were unique and some of which were limited, hid the exhibition carefully because it could not realize the exhibition due to the pandemic, and when it decided to exhibit it with 6 new watches this year, a very extensive collection have occurred.
Rare handcrafts collections have been always important for the Patek Philippe since its establishment in 1839. The timepieces considered as artworks back then -more than 200 graving artists were living only in Geneva by the end of 1700s- and Patek Philippe was producing unique watches for queens and kings. The brand founded the Fabrique, which brings together all the traditional arts of watchmaking at its headquarters in Geneva and brought together the most talented artists. Even when interest in such watches waned during the Quartz Crisis and the rare watchmaking arts were on the verge of extinction, the brand continued to produce watches in which these arts were practiced. (Let us note that the number of brands actualize this extremely difficult art can be counted on the fingers of one hand.) Now it is a tradition for Patek Phillipe to introduce this one-of-a-kind and limited-edition art-watches every year as well as the modern watches introduced at fairs.
Some of these unique watchmaking arts at the Plan-les-Quates center, where Patek Philippe moved in spring 2020, are as follows:
- Manual engraving the oldest decorative technique used to adorn timepieces
- Enamelling
- Miniature painting on enamel (we recommend that you go to Patek Philippe Museum and see the oldest examples.)
- Guilloching
- Gemsetting
- Wood micromarquetry
- Cloisonné
- Damascening
- Grand feu enamel
- Paillonné enamel
- Limoges enamel painting
- Fauré enamel
- Flinqué enamel
- Champlevé
We will discuss this exclusive exhibition of Patek Philippe in three articles: For now, let us look at the first of this year’s artisanal watches.
Patek Philippe Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon
The Sky Moon Tourbillon, which we saw for the first time in this exhibition, has a hand-engraved rose gold case with brown dial in grand feu champlevé and cloisonné enamel.
The watch, which more than 100 hours craftsmanship went into the making of the manually and enameled, has two faces. This double-faces design is inspired by the Ref. 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillion the brand first introduced in 2001. The watch has been favorite watch of the collectors for many years. From 2013 to 2016, it was available in a rare handcrafted version in a white gold case and blue enamel dial (6002G-001). This was followed by a new version with a black enamel dial (6002G-010) in 2016.
The timepiece has 12 complications including minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar and moon phase indications. There is a map displaying the movements of the Moon and stars in the sky from the Northern Hemisphere on the second face of the watch. A system consisting of three superimposed discs moving in accordance with the calculated trajectories has been developed for this.
The new Sky Moon Tourbillon comes with hand-embroidered cufflinks in rose gold.
