There’s something really desirable about a watch that forgoes the flashiness and the ostentatiousness that so many other watch brands strive for. Patek Philippe watches don’t need to be a fancy-pants brand and for that, you’ve got to admire them. The brand has earned its position within the Holy Trinity of Haute Horlogerie, cementing itself firmly at the tip of the triangle. The company is cited as the top brand among all luxury Swiss watch manufacturers.
Why Patek Philippe watches are so valuable
One of the most unique factors about Patek Philippe is that some of the brand’s models are so desirable they can often appreciate on the second-hand market. But why is this? And why do Patek Philippe watches make for such investible timepieces compared to others? Well, here’s why….
Patek Philippe is a family-owned company that started in the year 1839. It’s one of the oldest watchmaking company’s still in production. The ownership is now into its fourth generation, enabling consistency in its independent approach to manufacturing premium, high-performance, luxury wristwatches. This continual path of success has certainly paved the way for Patek Philippe. When you invest in a watch from this brand, you know you’re going to get the best that’s available on the market.
Brand History
Since the brand has been in existence for over 177 years, a strong sense of tradition is instilled in the company’s manufacturing facilities. This means that each watch purchased by a collector will have been crafted using time-honoured methods that have been handed down the family line. It is thus the heritage and the experience that you pay for when purchasing a Patek Philippe watch.
If Patek can promise one thing, it’s quality. Their supreme materials, once combined with expert craftsmanship, come together in a harmonious blend, promising longevity and durability on the wrist (not to mention precision timekeeping). The highest standards of employee training are adhered to, from those artisans who outline the original pencil sketch of a prototype, to those meticulously hand-assembling the separate components of its mechanical movement, to those responsible for placing it in its presentation box.
There’s no doubt that you feel like a true gentleman when wearing a Patek Philippe watch. The brand currently holds the record for the most expensive watch ever sold at an auction. They continue to developed luxury watches in the same way they always have – in limited amounts. To you and me 50,000 timepieces may sound like a lot, but when you compare them to rival companies who manufacture around a million watches per year, you can start to appreciate why the demand for a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, for example, is so high.
The Nautilus is a unique and instantly recognisable design from Patek Philippe. The likes of Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin have created wristwatches similar to the Nautilus, such as the Royal Oak and Overseas models respectively. Yet since these are more readily available on both the new and used market, Patek Philippe’s clever trick to produce the Nautilus in limited numbers only hikes up interest in them all the more.
Even pre-owned gold Patek Philippe watches may not fetch as much as their standard counterparts like the steel Nautilus or Aquanaut watch, since it’s often the most practical models that are so desirable. Many collectors will agree though, that having owned a Patek Philippe watch, very little compares in terms of the quality, the tradition and the expertise promised by such a reputable brand.
Buy a Patek Philippe Watch
One thing’s for sure: you will not see many Pateks on eBay! Even Jura Watches rarely have them in stock – this is one watch you are really going to need to seek out from an authorised dealer.
