FabR[Senior Patek Moderator]
26166
Correct, what Patek has been able to achieve --- in year 2022 alone --- in terms of demand for its entire (men's) catalog is honestly amazing.... I'll leave it to the historians to decide this, but personally I draw a big line with the 2022 W&W fair.
Aug 22, 2022,13:56 PM
If you go back and see our March 30 announcement on this platform (and then that of the following week), the "stroke of genius" by Patek was to present an impressive and broad lineup, touching upon a number of different collections BUT overtly --- almost provocatively --- avoiding the two sports lines. This, in my view, was the final moment that pushed through the roof people's interest even in models that historically were undervalued by collectors (much of the Calatrava line, for which the "renovation" had already begun a few years prior, most calendars, etc.). We will obviously see more of the Aquanaut and Nautilus collections very soon, but Patek's leadership is so broad and in so many areas that I feel it was critical to take a brief pause with the two sports lines after the craziness of the recent past --- and now that the attention is on EVERY Patek watch my friend, the point of no return has been crossed
The term "allocation piece" often implies that Patek makes the call on a certain collector, or at least that Geneva or the regional bosses must approve of a specific name submitted by an AD. Hence, under this interpretation, many Patek watches are still *not* allocation pieces, since an AD can make an entirely independent decision. But for sure, now the table has flipped, and ADs have a chance to pick the 'recipients' of virtually any watch!
The competition/demand you describe with your AD has been the same in the rest of the world for the past 6 months or so. I constantly receive requests regarding the situation in Italy or the US, but for good or bad, it is the precisely same here, there, and virtually anywhere else today. Of course, I view this as an incredible testament to the success and popularity of our favorite brand, but in a sense, also as a new, great way to reward a broader pool of top Patek collectors, by giving them access to models for which the competition is so high
Cheers.