Patek Philippe

This message has been edited by Dje on 2011-09-20 13:43:28 This message has been edited by Dje on 2011-09-26 13:37:42

In fact, this is the only reason why I can consider buying a Patek... I don't like many of them, but those I love, I love them deeply.

Does that makes sense?



Best,

Nicolas.

I was "Wow!  Gotta have that!" and seriously considered the 5159 after my Dato... but.. for some reason, the looks tires fast.. for me.

For me, an example of an enduring Patek beauty which I still think is as fantastic today as teh first day I chanced upon it is the 5078.  That is a confident watch... so complex but yet doesn't need to shout it.... but... I would not write an essay to applpy for permission to buy it... just me though and fortunately for me... I can;t afford it so I don't haveto worry about that LOL.

It happens the original black dial 6000-01 ugly duckling to most Patek fans is still a favourite of mine ,radial flip or not LOL. I find this " ugly duckling " attractive in the same way as a avantgarde contemporary artwork. I recall exchanging PM's with you on TZ way back in late 2006/ early 2007 when you first got interested in watches and was considering getting one and asking questions.

Little indeed has changed, I've liked the 6000G since its inception almost a decade ago (at least it seems that long). 

Good to hear from you!  Truly! 

Is in the eye of the beholder). Is what it is all about for me.

Someone once wrote here that they collect watches like a numismatist collects coins and I think I fall into this category.
Don't get me wrong I wear my watches but I also like to look at them and marvel at the designs.
Pp has nailed it here

Look at the vintage cases by Markowski etc the rof 1593. Ref 2442. Etc. They are truly works of art. Never the movement which are also exceptional but the case / dial of these vintage pieces are truly exceptional.
whether it is the vintage 2526 ( in my opinion the quintessential watch) or the 2499/1518. Or the modern 5970 or 5959. I think beauty is the common thread.

I think PP has the zeitgeist of horology Down to a T, dials can be simple or complex but in most cases they work.

(I apologies for my typing errors, I am using an iPad and it really difficult to edit my mistakes)

Great post Dje

Julian

Hi Dje,

to me the look and consequently the mood that is created is the most important factor in buying a Patek.

AND: you do not have to break the bank to get this feeling! I will explain further at the end this point.


The day I bought my Golden Ellipse I took also a friend with me, who hasn't got a clue of watches.

I do this quite often: asking a layman about his opinion about something that I am more into already.

This layman friend said about the watches to choose from as my first Patek: " The 5196, the 5127 are lovely, nice watches.

But your favorite the Ellipse is simply something different, something special!".

And this is what REAL beauty is: even the untrained eye has to admit that it is something special.

What makes Pateks beautiful?

The timeless design, elegant appearance of many Pateks.

I woud say also the craftsmanship behind them: they have to be slim to look elegant, to feel elegant ... and small ;-).

Do I fancy my Patek still the same as on the first day?

A clear Yes!

The good thing about my Ellipse is that I "can" wear it only in the winter time and during summer not that often.

When I put her (?) on again after a long time it all starts again: I can not keep my eyes off her.

The most beautiful Patek?

A though question.

The 5140 J : it has to be yellow gold to create that special mood, normally I would choose a simple watch without complications

but the 5140 gets away with it by being such a slim and small watch.

BUT, and here is my point again that I made at the beginning: I do not see a "need" to buy myself a 5140 as the Ellipse can already create the same mood...


Regards

Moritz

In my eyes Golden Ellipse is one of the most beautiful watches ever made. Next weekend I'll pick up one with YG bracelet for my wife. And I continue dreaming about the platinum one for myself.

Hi Kari,

there are two reasons why the Golden Ellipse might not be so popular:

1.: it is a very feminine watch. But this was so planed from the first day on: a unisex watch from the 60ies,

when sexual revolution started.

2.: it is a quite "costly" watch! More due to its unique design: it is for the aquired taste, for people who can

see also something cool, young but still very bold in it.

BUT: time showed me that financial considerations did not matter, when I choose this model.

The reason is very simple: since I bought the watch three years ago the price went up nearly 50%!

With my "individually" paid price for it also calculated to all: not a problem to get a "decent return" for it IF I want to sell.

But a sale is not an option!

 

Regards

Moritz

I don't but the standard model is also in my opinion "unisex".

Caliber 240 is not a standard movement.

Why this is not a standard movement  one can see with the Ellipse: with a crown nearly as big as a pinhead it is still feasible to wind the watch!

Also with only 21.600 beats it keeps time very, very well.

It is a movement that Patek uses also as a base movement, but this should be actually a reason more to have it in ones collection!

I would go always for a new movement in a new watch, anyway.


Now the large P Ellipse is certainly very masculine and a choice if you are a big guy or if you have a large wrist.

Not a choice for standard wrists, as I do not like large watches anyway.

What is nice but possibly a bit difficult to get: the small p ellipse from the anniversary set 2008.

Saw it also on offer seperately, but just onece.

Alternatively: the RG one is also very, very nice!

The WG is a bit dull ... sadly.

As you will know: your own personal taste counts and if you like the large one ... get it.

Whether the watch is complicated, simple or rare: they are ALL beyond sense!"

Regards

Moritz

This message has been edited by COUNT DE MONET on 2011-09-27 12:37:53

I have been watching the smaller Golden Ellipse models but my wrist is nearly 8 inches and those watches look too small. In normal cases I really dislike big watches and think that those suit well to small men who want to look a bit bigger...

It is hard to explain the beauty of this simple Calatrava.  In pictures it looks very nice, but on the wrist it is simply mesmerizing.  Why does this watch grab and hold my attention so completely?  I don't know.  At the time I was looking for a watch and no others grabbed me, but I bought this the same day I tried it on.  This is not in the realm of impulse buys for me

I do love this watch now as much as when I got it.

So beauty was the first thing, but what allowed me to spend multiples of what another brand's simple RG watch would cost was the Patek workmanship, reputation, and history.  I don't imagine ever wanteing to sell or trade this for another "grail".  This watch has everything.

This message has been edited by Meiwenti on 2011-09-21 08:16:58

By far the most important reason (but not the only one)

Again I need to talk about the 5070 but that is for me the most beautifull watch I know

I love love a simple rolex sub 16610 or a simple panerai or the very beautifull journe CS.

Breguet, Zenith, GP, Lange, Hublot, AP, JLC, IWC .... all of them have watches I like and I don't like (Patek also has a few I don't like) 

But for me nothings comes even close to the 5070

Do I like it as much as the first day I bought it ?..........................NO

Everyday I have it i like it more and more

to be popular i.e. desired by consumers.  Can you imagine the most technically innovative, interesting, beautifully designed movement placed in an ugly case?  Almost all Patek watches are eye catching, and they come with in house calibers and the history of the manufacture.  Some may like the fact that Patek is individually owned.  I do not own a Patek at this time but there are many I would like to own, and some day will pull the trigger on at least one model.  World timers, annual and perpetual calenders, the 10 day power reserve tourbillon, the chronograph, these are my favorites.  I would imagine for some owning a Patek is the ultimate prize.  This is not the case for myself, but the beauty of their watches cannot be denied.  I don't think we would spend so much frigging money on a watch if the beauty wasn't there along with the technical sophistication.

Stewart

And it's not just sheer beauty, but a evergreen component to it, with a intangible sense of lasting beauty.

Sure there are some crap design from Patek, but their hits outlast and outnumber their shits.

Best,

Horo

timeless beauty may well be another way to phrase it.  the calatrava is the example par excellence....

Best,

Horo

This watch is art at its greatest ! The watch is timeless and will always be a piece appreciated and chased after.

I appreciate these threads are there to counter the recent negative bashing the brand has received but all said I'm an intersting case study in Patekmania.

I fell for all the Geneva Seal and 'pinnacle of watchmaking' gibberish and then had a horrendous after-care experience which clouded my view of the brand.

I am now asking myself why I have just purchased another Patek - a vintage one at that.  I know that it's going to cost me a fortune to have Patek restore it, I know there's a good chance I'll grow old and die before the work is completed but my god, the true Calatrava design is just so beautiful.

It's not a purist design like the ultra-thin Vacherons and AP's but something about it is just so right.  I liked it the moment I first saw it in the flesh and it's grown on me ever since.

Vacheron are now mining their rich seam of vintage designs - something patek has never stopped doing.  Rolex managed it by coming up with three or four design masterpieces and never changing.  Patek has many more designs and yet doesn't seem to have aged.

proper term, maybe that term relates more to women than to men and it would be very interesting to hear the views of the female members of the forum.

To those unfamiliar with Patek, I might expect a different view. Terms like conservative, "old man's watch, classic, maybe even boring, etc. were regularly used twenty plus years ago.

I do think "what it is" has a great deal to do with the perception of beauty. We all ooh and ahh over minute repeaters, tourbillon-minute repeaters, split chrono's, perpetuals, and other pieces loaded up with complications because of what they are and I believe that influences what we consider to be beautiful with respect to Patek.

There are a lot of designs Patek uses today which are incredibly popular but were just the opposite when first introduced. The Nautilus is a good example.The comments from folks thirty years ago were no where close to what you hear today. Patek's popularity has had a profound effect on that perception.

Did I buy my watch because I thought it was beautiful?  I bought it  because of what it was at the time .... the best. The design was attractive and pleasing and unassuming. The case and dial were quite simple, unrecognizable to all but those familiar with Patek. I never received any compliments and no one ever mentioned anything about it at all. And it speaks to me today the same way it did over 20 years ago.

Of course, like many others, I acquired other Pateks "loaded up" because of the complications and all of the cool stuff they did, but for the most part, it was how they were visually attractive with the moon phases, power reserve indicators, etc., but the ones that I now gravitate to seem to be the simple looking watches.

After writing the above, I am believing beauty comes to each one of us differently and may not always be relegated to the visual.

You throw out some pretty thought provoking questions Jerome.

 



 

Hi,

A huge thanks to all for your great answers.

We're obviously getting closer to the heart of our love.

I'll propose another facet of the subject soon.  

Best regards

Dje

No message body

Beauty can't be the “reason” why I love these watches, simply because Beauty isn't rational. Till now, I've written I love Patek Philippe watches for their rarity (here) and for their tradition (here). What about their Beauty? Well, Beauty is The Sense, The Meaning of my love for PP watches. However, it couldn't be different, since we're talking about imperfect objects: mechanical timepieces aren't so accurate and they require our best attentions as well as the tender loving cares of a watchmaker. Maybe, we see in a mechanical watch the embodiment of human imperfection?

I apologize for replying so late to this great thread, but I couldn't not participate! Among other things, in the past I've written about this matter, as well as I've respectfully played with PP watches, posting drawings inspired by or based on them. I've also criticized some designs, but I've done it always because I deeply appreciate the Beauty of PPs. Actually, their collections are the only one in the whole horology world that I like almost entirely: there must be something in the water the PP designers drink, that make me like their productions nearly always.

What, in my opinion, make the Beauty of Patek Philippe watches? A lot of thoughts come to me. Rather than listing specific examples, I prefer to list some key features.

- The Beauty of the Patek Philippe watches stands in the perfect balance between elegance, sophistication and understatement; for sure, they’re one of the best watches for a Purist.

- Beauty is the language spoken by the objects. Not only through their look, but even by every single stimulation of our senses. The Beauty of PP watches as surely a feast for the eyes as well as a pleasure for the sense of touch and (for the lucky ones) for hearing.

- The Beauty of a PP watch stands in realizing in every new proposal a step forward, but without denying the past. Of course, in the past there have been some flops (and PP didn’t insist on them indefinitely); of course, PP too have recently succumbed to the temptation of gratuitous case enlargements. On average, however, the new proposals are consistent enough with the important role the brand has in the market.

- The aesthetic harmony is particularly striking once the watch is worn, rather than merely observing it.

- The Beauty of the PP watches regards not only their "face". IMHO their cases are the most sought-looking and original; their buckles and their bracelets are the most attractive; the movements are among the most beautiful.

- Beauty can be ephemeral and set fire to one’s heart only for a short instant, or Beauty can be eternal, becoming day by day the material representation of human tension to the absolute truth. Yes, I'm exaggerating a bit (just a bit...): the Beauty of PP watches belongs to the second category.

- The PP designers wisely use both symmetries and asymmetries.

- You can often find small touches of surprising originality, in the PP Beauty.

- The combination of colors is appropriate to the message of the various timepieces: from the classics to the contemporary.

- PP is perhaps the only traditionally-inspired-Manufacture whose products are recognizable even without any signature.

- Unfortunately, I still miss the experience of possession of a PP timepiece, but I had 3 powerful experiences with these watches. The first brings back to 2008, when I met an excellent AD who educated me about the Beauty of these watches, pointing out that sometimes it may conflict with practicality. The second experience was in 2009, when I’ve visited the PP Museum in Genève: it is a very big hymn to the power of beauty, and this makes us feel smaaaaall and insignificant (I don’t want to be offensive using this word: it’s a “pilgrimage” for every watch-lover). The third experience began in 2010 when, willing to design new PPs, I had to study their style in detail.

- Finally, I would like to say that the Beauty of watches represents a good share of historic and artistic heritage of Switzerland.

Well, I nearly forgot to tell what is the most beautiful Patek Philippe watch. I’d like to suggest the Ref. 5207 for its boldness and perfection and the Ref. 130 for its elegance and functionality.

Thank you for reading, ciao!

This message has been edited by heartbreaker on 2011-12-04 14:19:46