For a few years, the general date for the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition has been circled on my calendar. Fall 2026—somewhere in there, I’d have to find a way to visit Milan. I had hoped that I would go as part of my job, of course, but after missing the last exhibition in Tokyo, I knew that, even if I had to go on my own, it would be easier to visit Italy, a place that I feel very attached to thanks to the mentorship of the great Italian collectors and dealers. Luckily, a press preview was in the cards, and now that the event is wrapped up (it ran from October 2 to the 18th), I wanted to bring the experience to those who couldn’t attend.
One of the great parts about the Grand Exhibitions, this one being the seventh, is that the brand opens them to the public for free, bringing the history and savoir-faire of watchmaking to a new market at each show. While those of us in the industry get to see things like enameling demonstrations or movement construction as part of our jobs, the Watch Art Grand Exhibition brings that to life for those who aren’t as lucky. More than that, Patek Philippe goes so far as to organize school trips from the local market, helping bring the craft to life for children.
Patek Philippe’s President Thierry Stern and his 24-year-old son Adrien Stern, who has worked at the company for 18 months and was touted (multiple times) by Thierry Stern as his successor alongside his youngest son. Stern repeatedly emphasized that Patek Philippe would remain under his family’s ownership.
Then there’s the commercial aspect. Several new releases marked the occasion, including a brand-new perpetual calendar chronograph—the 5978P—and the new collection, the Goldolo Ladies First. Aside from the Gondolo, these watches (which we covered at launch) plus 25 other Rare Handcrafts pieces are designated solely for collectors in the Italian market.
There’s certainly an impact on the local market in that way as well. My friend Federico Verga of the retailer Verga 1947 in Milan welcomed me the day before the preview and told me he was keeping his scooter nearby, ready to jump at a moment’s notice to meet any client or visitor who wanted a tour. I’m sure his phone was ringing all week with purchase requests.
Two branded (wrapped) Fiat Topolinos that were available for use by the market.
This year’s Grand Exhibition was the largest yet, with a number of new spaces and displays spread over 31,200 square feet at CityOval, an event space in the northern section of Milan. The brand had planned for around 1,500 people per hour to pass through its doors—but ended up with 68,000 visitors—and, with that in mind, made the exhibition easy to navigate.
The 31,200 square foot hall that housed the Milan Watch Art Grand Exhibition.
Each room and vitrine had its own QR code, which you could scan to listen to audio descriptions of the sights and watches, or read further about the history. Luckily enough, it seems as though the map and all the information within it are still active, so you can click the link here to follow along as we move through the spaces. The obvious way to travel through the exhibition was to start clockwise from the left, so we’ll take our trip into the Artisans Room, which quickly leads into the Rare Handcrafts Room. As they say in Italy, Andiamo!
All of the ‘Rare Handcrafts’ Pieces of the Milan Watch Art Grand Exhibition and the Artists Behind Them
If you enter the space and turn left, you’ll see a model of the gateway to the Patek Philippe Museum, which makes up the left half of the exhibition space. There’s no better place to start than with the artists. While other brands still use métiers d’art alongside watchmaking, I don’t think anyone comes close to Patek Philippe’s scale. That’s evident in the brand’s annual Rare Handcrafts cocktail at Watches & Wonders, which we’ve covered before.
This is the Watch Art Grand Exhibition, so I went in focused on the artistry of it all. The brand released 27 Rare Handcrafts pieces, and several artists were on hand. My only regret was not getting a photo of Anita Porchet, the living enameling legend, who was frequently mobbed by the press as she shared a portfolio of work. But I did photograph every single Rare Handcrafts piece released.
And for the first time in my recent memory, Patek Philippe has shared pricing for all these extraordinary pieces on its website. So while you likely won’t get an allocation for one, even if you do live in the Italian market, you can still marvel at some of the images below or visit the brand’s website for pricing to satiate your curiosity.
The centerpiece connecting the more “commercial” pieces and the Rare Handcrafts releases is, as it has been for some time, a pair of ref. 5531 World Time Minute Repeater wristwatches. As I mentioned in our original story about these watches, they are among the most sought-after watches among the top-tier Patek VIPs.
Instead of using the Duomo di Milano to decorate the dial (a more obvious choice), the brand turned to Anita Porchet, who created a map of Lombardy’s capital city, visible either by day or by night. You can see the Duomo in gold, the Castello Sforzesco around 11 o’clock, and a faint “A.P.” signature (just west of Via Morigi, south of where it intersects Via Gorani on the daytime version, and south of Via Torino near Via dei Piatti on the nighttime version). But I was floored by the 25028M-001 Table Clock seen below, which took the concept to the extreme.
The ref. 5531G-012 “Milan Map at Day,” limited to five pieces.
The ref. 5531G-013 “Milan Map at Night” limited to five pieces.
The ref. 25028M-001 is the first of its kind, featuring a similar motif as above, but in 20 enamel versions of greens and blues (except for the golden Duomo), all done in Grand Feu cloisonné over barleycorn guilloche. The enameler used about 11m of gold wire. The clock is made in only 3 pieces and uses a 17 ligne PEND TABLE mechanical movement, which is rewound by an electric motor. The entire thing measures 53.47mm by 126mm wide
An enameler shows off their craft in the demonstration room.
A portrait of the late Philippe Stern was on display, as well as examples of dials from past Rare Handcrafts zodiac pieces and other current-collection dials.
A few Rare Handcrafts pieces seemed to be the stand-out favorites among the attendees I spoke with. Chief among them was the 20179M-001 “Sicilian Oranges,” a unique Grand Feu cloisonné dome clock dedicated to the orchards of Palermo.
A member of the press photographs the ref. 20179M-001 “Sicilian Oranges” dome clock.
Dome clocks are incredibly charming and impressive in person, and the large dome itself is a challenge even for the best enamelists. At the event, Patek Philippe’s President, Thierry Stern, said that for decades his father, Philippe Stern, kept making these clocks despite low demand. He had faith that the market would turn, but if they didn’t keep making the movements and employing the craftsmen, the industry would never recover.
The beautiful and unique ref. 20179M-001 “Sicilian Oranges” dome clock.
The clock featured a combination of 49 colors of opaque and opalescent colors, plus miniature painting in at least 4 more pastel colors. The depth between the blues in the background and striking oranges was incredible.
Here you can see more of how the artist emphasized the oranges while giving depth through a softer backdrop. The dial, shown above, was inspired by a Sicilian church’s clock tower.
Maybe the favorites above anything else, however, were the Italian road trip Calatravas, which takes wearers on a tour across the country in the iconic Italian car, the Fiat 500. While most people wouldn’t think of the Fiat 500 as a road-tripping car, when you tour around Milan, you can see why Italians still see it as the quintessential city car. And the four watches got their own room, decorated with a larger version of one of the paintings. Below are the four watches—each limited to six pieces.
While it might be called the “Stop-off in Chianti,” apparently I figured it would be best to start with a glass of wine and the ref. 5177R-010 with a scene of a yellow Fiat in the vineyards, made with 28 colors.
The ref. 5711G-053 “Amalfi Escapade” is done in a white gold case and Clous de Paris bezel framing a cloisonné enamel scene of a Fiat convertible weaving along the cliffside roads along the Amalfi coast.
The ref. 5177R-011 “Arrival in Como” reminds me of my first trip to Italy, where I photographed a wedding in Como, took to the skies in a seaplane from the Aero Club Como (for a story of Hodinkee magazine) and then made my way down to Milan and then Bologna to meet my friend Auro Montanari for the first time. Granted, I don’t think that was in mind for the enamelist, but still.
The ref. 5177G-054 takes “A Trip to Puglia,” one of the few places in Italy I haven’t been. The scene is of a red Fiat going through a small town of “trulli,” the rural buildings common in the region with dry-stone roofs. The enamelist apparently used 28 colors here.
If you’re talking about horsepower, how about the ref. 995/147G-001 “Venetian Cruise,” a combination of enameled backdrop and a marquetry masterpiece, and the use of wood seems appropriate for the subject. The watch is made in white gold and the back reminds me of a famous photo of Paul Newman in a tuxedo, riding in a boat in Venice.
One of the best parts of the watch is the matte black enamel dial which is probably the sportiest design I’ve seen from Patek in a while. Imagine something like this on a chronograph!
According to Patek, the caseback is made of “334 tiny veneer parts and 15 even smaller inlays, together spanning a palette of 37 species of wood of different colors, textures and veining, coated with a glossy varnish. The boat, of the runabout type, was then incorporated into the setting, which was enameled beforehand and adorned with about 10 colors of miniature painting on enamel.”
My personal favorite pair, however, was the ode to one of my favorite fruits. I love lemons and will happily eat the whole slice that comes in my drink. This is the ref. 20185M-001 “Sicilian Lemons” dome clock and Calatrava ref. 5077/100J-010 “Bay of Naples.”
The clock is rendered in Longwy enamel on faience, which requires starting with a black outline on a background. Then, that outline is filled in with 14 opaque enamel colors, then details were added with a brush and 5 highlighting pigments. Finally, the crackling of the enamel is actually emphasized with a colorant, which gives it a more aged look.
If I could have walked away with one watch (not a clock) it would have been the 5077/100J-010 “Bay of Naples.” The execution of the “Faraglioni di Capri” was absolutely gorgeous, with underlying guilloché giving the texture of the waves, combined with flinqué and Grand Feu cloisonné, using 30 colors of enamel. But even on closer examination, you can see the rind of the lemon is textured with miniature painting with 9 more colors.
Here’s the 992/193J-001 “Burano,” was one of the most vibrant, with 70 colors used.
At the top of the watch is a red spinel cabochon and the stand uses 108 spinel gems (1.15 cts) and 102 sapphires (1.18 cts) in yellow gold, sitting on an oval base of blue quartz with glyphs on rock crystal.
Done in dark Blanc de Limoges with gold painting and hand-engraving was the 20184M-001 “Rome by Night.”
You can see the grisaille enamel au blanc de Limoges, which uses a white oil-based enamel which is drawn out and sculpted with a brush and needle on a dark brown transluscent enamel.
The ref. 5738/50G-039 “Crouching Lion” use grisaille enamel au blanc de Limoges to depict the titular sculpture by Pasquale Ricca created in 1866 and installed on Piazza dei Martiri. Here, however, it is depicted on Piazza del Plebiscito, in front of the grand colonnade of the San Francesco di Paola Basilica in Naples. The watch is limited to six examples in white gold.
On display was an artist working on wood marquetry. What’s maybe most surprising about the work, to me, is the size of the foot-driven saw, with a big cross piece holding a tiny little tool to cut these micro-sized details. Look at the size of the spots in the leopard below.
The 5077/100G-082 “The Pink Bay” was limited to six pieces, showing the Bay of Naples with bougainvillea flowers, with 112 diamonds around the bezel and lugs.
Another fan favorite was the 5077/100R-072 “Capri Beach” with the adorable little blue and white umbrellas that dot the shore, as viewed from above. This was also limited to six pieces.
The ref. 5738/50R-027 “The Great Gallery” with Grand Feu cloisonné enamel, a tribute to the former residence of the Royal House of Savoy, known as the Palace of Venaria. The watch is made in five pieces.
That same 5738/50R-027 next to the ref. 5738/50G-050 “Baroque Decoration.” Using the same techniques, the watch shows a portion of the paintings and ceilings of the Venaria Palace.
The ref. 5738/50R-017 “Sunset in Tuscany” is made in ten pieces, using wood marquetry instead of the more frequently used enamel (at least in the watches on display here). While its not noted who did the work on this piece, I know past watches, including this year’s duck dial was made by Jérôme Boutteçon, a renowned master craftsman in wood marquetry and a Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
The ref. 7040/250G-011 ‘Florentine Mosaic’ with unique piece in white gold reproduces in miniature painting on enamel the “Florentine mosaic” technique, with which artisans, particularly those of Italy, produced highly accomplished naturalistic decorations in hardstone. Its floral composition draws inspiration from a seventeenth-century table conserved in Florence. The watch combines a black Grand Feu enamel base and grisaille outlines with 16 different hues of enamel. The retail price was $707,074.
Another demonstration was of the guillocher whose work often underlies the enamel in some of these pieces.
A unique dome clock called 20183M-001 Italian Stamps had panels on each side dedicated to old postage stamps of fountains and at the same time the peninsula’s explorers.
I don’t have a photo of the dial on this one, though its far more reserved with just a white background and Breguet numerals. But the action is largely all about the case engraving and enameling on the 995/148G-001 “Italian Stuccoes.”
The remarkable thing here is the fact that the caseback has underlying guilloché which peeks through the green flinqué enamel, then the engraved ornament is applied on top.
The 20180M-001 “Ravennea” draws inspiration from the mosaics of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, built in the fifth century. Using miniature painting on top of cloisonné enamel, the artist was able to replicate the crackling micro-mosiac texture.
Two motifs of Burano lacework, the 5077/100R-069 “Lacework in Pink” and the 5077/100G-080 “Lacework in Blue.” Each begins with a lightly hammered floral lace pattern for champlevé enameling, then silver leaf is laid beneath traslucent enamel for paillonné enameling. Each dial requires between 8 and 15 firings, according to Patek. The bezel and lugs have 112 diamonds, with 29 more in the buckle. Six watches were made in each case and color.
The gemsetting was relatively reserved on these pieces, limited to brilliant cut stones on bezels, buckles, and lugs. But on other Rare Handcrafts pieces, the brand will sometimes use either baguette or brilliant-cut stones in a gradient that matches the enameling on the dial and carries it to the case. A watchmaker here was setting stones into the outer section of the bezel of an Aquanaut 7968/300R-001 Chronograph (which has outer rainbow stones and inner diamonds).
Setting the stone into place and adjusting it with a piece of wood.
From what I can tell, this looks to be a set of stones for the 5711/111P-001 with sapphire indices and bezel.
The diamond baguettes that will be used in the 7968/300R-001 Aquanaut chronograph.
One of the few dome clocks made in an edition (this time five pieces) is the 10039M-001 “Millefiori.” The idea was to emulate Millefiori glass, a technique from Murano using glass canes, but with cloisonné enamel and miniature painting. The hour circle is made of white mother of pearl with baguette-cut dark orange sapphire hour markers, with a sunburst blue enamel center.
One of the other most outstanding pieces on display was the pocket watch ref. 995/151G-001 “Dante,” a miniature painted rear depiction of the portrait of poet Dante Alighieri painted in 1495 by Sandro Botticelli. Unsurprisingly, this is a unique piece and encroaches on a million dollar price tag.
The watch required 25 firings at 800ºC and features Dante’s silhouette surrounded by framed drawings from the “Divine Comedy.” The case is in white gold and the watch comes with a white gold stand that has windows of rutilated quartz and a base made of lapis pyrite. There’s also the white gold chain.
The Archives Room
One of this year’s additions to the Grand Exhibition was a new Historical Archives room that focused on the depth of the brand’s heritage through ephemera and archival information, covering history from 1839 to 2014. The brand’s archives are essential to many collectors, especially vintage ones, who rely on the Extract from the Archives to verify a watch’s authenticity, or at least to confirm that the watch, as it is now, reflects how it was born. The archives space was more than that, but one of the most fascinating things was seeing Patek peel back the curtain on what these archives look like. But first, some of the more general heritage.
The entrance to the room celebrated the recent historical milestones—the opening of the museum, the past Grand Exhibitions—and showed off things like the invitations to the museum opening, the commemorative medals, and more.
People seemed fascinated by this old Golden Ellipse advertisement. Obviously Patek has had some famous ads in the past but this one I think is less commonly seen than others.
I didn’t know about the museum’s inaugural medallions given out, but now I kind of want one.
Possibly one of the most important documents in Patek’s history, a letter from the Stern brother’s bank regarding their acquisition of the brand in 1933.
Of course, history and family are very much intertwined, but one thing we don’t see touted as much lately is the chronometric history of Patek Philippe, which used to be a frequent entrant at contests with their “Extra” quality tourbillons.
Here are timing sheets, with measurements taken manually during chronometry testing.
For those who love complicated Patek, you may have seen our story about the brand’s split-second chronographs. A main achievement in the 1930s was the standarization of movements and designs that allowed industralized production of most of the world’s “firsts.”
The Technical Cards
By far the most surprising thing I saw at the exhibition was the inclusion of order sheets and technical cards for vintage watches. I spoke for some time with the head of the archival department at the Patek Philippe manufacture (not the museum, which is a separate entity), who talked me through how they issue archival extracts that verify the veracity of any watch sent in. The exhibition shows a bit of that below, but to get a sense of what Patek sees when they look things up, they’ve included technical sheets for different generations of the first Calatrava, the ref. 96.
The reference 96 went through various casemakers and calibers over the years. Some had central seconds, and a few special orders had “observatory” dials with seconds at 9 o’clock. As I understand it, each request starts with the technical sheet for that design and time frame. It outlines the casemaker, specifications, and base dial style.
Here, a few images are taped to the order sheet, showing the variations you would find. Interestingly, apparently both short and long signature dials were acceptable on 1934 Antoine Gerlach cases, as were different dial styles and handsets. All photos are in black and white, but the center photo looks to be a steel style with blackened indices and a white dial.
The first image in the carousel below shows a ref. 96 in the 1932 Gerlach case style, but Taubert case cards were also shown. One has a fluted bezel. Gerlach was chosen for the first gold and platinum Calatravas ever made. The question then becomes: if they made so many styles, how did they know what was right beyond these sheets? That’s where specific order sheets come in. In theory, every special dial configuration should be reflected in the order sheet for that serial number, though it wasn’t perfect. Sometimes you can see that a special chronograph scale might not be listed, but sometimes it is. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s still impressive to see the old handwritten notes.
Copies of order sheets for some of the most famous watches in Patek’s history are below. That includes the brand’s first complicated wristwatch (a minute repeater, which we’ll see later), the world’s first perpetual calendar minute repeater wristwatch, and the world’s first split-second wristwatch.
The Historical Owners and Museum Rooms
Following the corridor out from the displays of information about some of the most important watches leads into the rooms that show the watches themselves. The first room focused on famous historical owners and their important watches. The next section was a scaled-down (yet still incredible) version of the brand’s museum.
The space was a pretty faithful recreation of the Patek Philippe Museum’s aesthetic in Geneva. If you’ve been to the museum in the past few weeks, you may have missed some of the brand’s greatest watches. Sorry, they were in Milan. That includes one of my favorites, the ref. 2571. While I didn’t cover every watch, this gives you a taste. A quick note: all captions below are courtesy of Patek Philippe.
The wristwatch of Duke Ellington, a ref. 1436 – Split-seconds wrist chronograph, water-resistant Patek Philippe, Genève. Gentleman’s wristwatch with the following complications: 1/5 second chronograph, with round buttons, tachymeter scale graduated for 1,000 metres, split-seconds (by the winding crown), 30-minute register (subsidiary dial at 3 o’clock). Yellow-gold case, No. 630 551, screw-on back. Satin-finished silver dial, subsidiary seconds dial at 9 o’clock. Movement No. 863 791, calibre 13-130 R, Valjoux ébauche and Victorin Piguet rattrapante, lever escapement, compensation balance and Breguet balance spring, eight adjustments. H. 42.3 mm / Ø 34.8 mm / T. 13.8 mm. Movement from 1946; case from 1943.
The display with a portrait of Duke Ellington.
Henry Graves Jr’s Grand Complication – Pocket watch. Patek Philippe, Genève. Open-faced, stem winding and setting, with the following complications: minute repeating on two gongs, Grande sonnerie, Petite sonnerie, perpetual calendar, date (subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock), day of the week (subsidiary dial at 9 o’clock), month (subsidiary dial at 3 o’clock), age and phases of the moon (subsidiary dial, graduated from 0 to 29 1/2, aperture at 12 o’clock), chronograph, split-seconds, 60-minute register (subsidiary dial at 12 o’clock, graduated twice from 0 to 30), twin barrel with differential winding. Yellow-gold case, No. 407 674. Amber-coloured enamel dial, subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. Movement No. 174 961, 20’’’, Victorin Piguet ébauche, lever escapement. H. 88.8 mm / Ø 62.3 mm / T. 21.6 mm. Movement from 1919; case from 1921.
James Ward Packard’s minute repeating and 30-hour power reserve dress watch Patek Philippe, Genève. Open-faced, stem winding and setting, with the following complications: minute repeating on 2 gongs (activated by the slide on the band to the right of the pendant), 30-hour power reserve indication (sector at 6 o’clock). Yellow-gold case, No. 405 810, without cuvette; chased pendant neck, bezel and edge of case back. Two-tone satin-finished gold dial, engine-turned centre, subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. Movement No. 174 907, 17’’’, Victorin Piguet ébauche, rhodium-plated, counterpoised straight line lever escapement, compensation balance with gold timing screws, eight adjustments, adjusted by master adjuster Jules Golay-Audemars. H. 62.2 mm / Ø 46.5 mm / T. 9.9 mm. Movement from 1918; case from 1919.
Pocket watch with the Effigy of Pope Leo XIII Patek Philippe, Genève. Hunter case, stem winding and setting. Silver case; chased bezel and bow, rose-gold hinges, lip and winding crown. The back and the front cover are fashioned from Jubilary medals bearing the effigy of Pope Leo XIII, made to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his pontificate in 1888. The movement of this watch (No. 56 888, 17’’’) was removed during servicing by Patek Philippe, after 1936. H 70.7 mm / Ø 50.4 mm / T. 16.9 mm Case from 1901.
Pius IX’s Pocket watch, Supreme Pontiff Patek Philippe, Genève. Open-faced, stem winding and setting, with the following complication: half-quarter repeating on two gongs (activated by a slide on the band). Yellow-gold case. White enamel dial, subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. Movement No. 27 033, 19’’’, Piguet Frères ébauche, gilt, counterpoised straight line lever escapement, compensation balance and Breguet balance spring. H. 68.8 mm / Ø 49.2 mm / T. 14.4 mm. Movement and case from 1866.
The watch said to have belonged to Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland – Pendant watch Patek Philippe, Genève. Open-faced, stem winding and setting. Yellow-gold case. White enamel dial. Movement No. 4536, 13’’’, Patek, Philippe ébauche, gilt, cylinder escapement, monometallic balance and flat balance spring. This illustration shows how the open-face pendant watch with matching brooch might have been won by Queen Victoria. H. 46.8 mm / Ø 33.2 mm / T. 9.2 mm. Movement from 1850; case from 1851.
A watch donated by Queen Louise of Denmark (from 1866) and the watch of King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway (from 1885, with Henry Capt ébauche).
The chronograph pocket watch of Vittorio Emnuele III, Duke of Savoy, King of Italy (made in 1895, cased in 1896, with 18 ligne Victorin Piguet ébauche) at left. At right is the watch of Umberto I of Savoy, King of Italy, made in 1896 and cased in 1897, made with a Ambroise Duret ébauche.
A watch belonging to Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, which was a tribute to her late husband Tsar Alexander II, Emperor of Russia. The watch was made in 1909 and featured a rare portrait of the Tsar in civilian clothing, rather than his normal military garb.
A minute repeater from 1908, based on a LeCoultre ébauche, in tribute to Princess Yurievskaya of Russia, daughter of Alexander II.
The Museum Room
One of the most important watches on display was the first to greet you when you walked in the room. From Patek this is “the first Swiss wristwatch, which was made by Patek Philippe. The key-winding watch with baguette movement, manufactured in 1868, features a rectangular case and bracelet. It was sold to Countess Koscowicz of Hungary. This watch may be considered one of the first modern wristwatches. It is not a bracelet coupled with a pendant watch as was occasionally seen in the early 19th century – but instead a true timepiece intended to be worn on the wrist, whose bracelet is of secondary importance.”
The Patek Philippe museum has never been all about the brand’s heritage, and as evidence, here are three examples of chronometers used for maritime sailing. At center is a “Galloping” inking chronograph, signed Fatton / Eléve / De Breguet and “Patent / No. 2/ London.” At right is a Thomas Mudge-design one day Ships’ Chronometer labeled “Pennington, Pendleton, and others for the Son of the Inventor” and made around 1796.
This is a fusee-and-chain detent escapement chronometer with gridiron temperature compensation, signed Inventée et construite par Ferdinand Berthoud. Exécutée par Louis Berthoud”. The watch is from circa 1765.
Here was an interesting grouping. Can you tell what market these were made for? Curiously, these were made for the Chinese market, which had a longstanding relationship back to the mid-to-late 1700s. These were made exclusively for that market, but look like those made for Europe, with European motifs. At center, The Roses – Pair of pendant watches with music and automaton Made for the Chinese market. Piguet & Meylan (movement, circa 1815). Frères Oltramare (case, circa 1820).
The Madonna of the Chair – Pair of pocket watches with music and automaton Made for the Chinese market. Piguet & Meylan (movement). Attributed to Jean-Abraham Lissignol (enamel painting). Attributed to Frères Oltramare (case). Made circa 1815.
Four Winds – Pendant watch with calendar and moon phases Movement signed “Estienne Ester / A Geneve” on the back plate; fusee and chain, key winding; verge escapement without hairspring. Complications: Annual calendar, lunar indication. Dial made of engraved silver and engraved gilded brass. Bassine-shaped case made of engraved, chased gilded brass and rock-crystal. H. 87 mm / Ø 60 mm / T. 32 mm. Geneva, Switzerland, circa 1660.
Everyone’s favorite asymmetrical designer, Gilbert Albert, who had his own display.
Four beautiful watches made by arguably the best miniature enamelist to ever live, Suzanne Rohr. At left is a painting based on “Ville-d’Avray” by Jean-Baptiste Corot. Next, a painting after François Diday. The seascape is based after a painting by Ludolf Bakuizen. The final, at right, is based on a painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
A selection of important chronographs, including the first chronograph by Patek Philippe at left (1924) and first split-second chronograph (1923) ever made, at right.
The first Patek Philippe split-seconds wristwatch and the first ever with that complication, owned by Attilio Ubertalli and made in 1923. The watch measures 33.1mm by 11.1mm
The first Patek Philippe wrist chronograph – Monopusher 1/5 second chronograph with tachymeter scale, made in 1924, and measuring 34mm by 9.5mm
A tortue-shaped chronograph made in 1929, with Victorin Piguet ébauche.
A Patek ref. 1579 “Spider Lugs” chronograph from 1963.
The successor to the 1415 was the famous ref. 2523, powered by a Louis Cottier mechanism and featuring strong, shaped and faceted lugs.
the other one featured a guilloché dial and the movement wasn’t cased until 1966. Not many were made and demand was low, especially because of the cost of the enamel dials, one would imagine.
This is one of the only times you’ll ever see a Patek ref. 542 HU. The movement is based on a LeCoultre ébauche, while the HU (Heure Universelle) was added in 1937 when the watch was cased. Here, the bezel rotates for the time zones.
A triple calendar moonphase wristwatch from 1927 with a tortue-shaped case.
A ref. 3450 Perpetual Calendar, movement number 1’119’832, from 1985.
A rare Patek Philippe calendar wristwatch, one of approximately 30 made by Niton for Patek Philippe, though its not clear how many movements were used in this case style. This was made in 1937.
A display of Gondolo watches, which would make a lot of sense considering the launch of the Gondolo Ladies First later that night.
A selection of incredibly important Patek Philippe minute repeaters.
A yellow gold minute repeater on two gongs, signed on the back for the Radio Corporation of America, and belonged to Albert Clement Middleton, the director of the company. Made in 1928.
The first Patek Philippe repeating wristwatch, with five minute repeater from a Victorin Piguet ébauche, made and cased in 1916.
Finally, the brand brought out the Duke of Regla, a watch for a Mexican nobleman which was made in 1929, featuring a five-gong Westminster Chime minute repeater and petite sonnerie.
The Salon
The center point of the exhibition, across from the Jet d’Eau sculpture, is a recreation of Patek Philippe’s historic headquarters at 41 Rue du Rhône in Geneva, now functioning as the Patek Philippe Salon boutique, a Mecca of its own where nearly every single watch Patek currently makes is on display for lucky people who will become clients at the Salon. A step inside gives a similar experience, though I won’t show you the entire catalog of watches.
The pieces of the Jet d’Eau sculpture.
A close look at the window of the Salon building shows the outline of the late Philippe Stern and Thierry Stern.
Some of the limited edition pieces of the Grand Exhibition.
The new 5978P perpetual calendar chronograph.
The new limited edition Aquanaut.
A recreation of the Salon, featuring a window showing a view of the lake and Jet d’Eau.
Can I interest you in a Nautilus on the 50th Anniversary?
The high jewelry ladies Nautilus.
The new Nautilus table clock.
How about the chronographs?
Further inside is the “Napoleon Room,” a replica of the Salon Napoléon III, a showroom at the original Patek HQ that welcomed customers in the 19th Century.
The Crow and the Fox Automaton, Reference 5249R-001, which shows hours and minutes on demand and was launched at Watches & Wonders this year. It was modeled after a pocket watch from 1958.
The Patek Philippe desk clock ref. 27000M-001, which was launched in 2025 and floored me. Even more surprising was that a newly discovered table clock similar to this was offered at auction later that same year, changing the scholarship of Patek history.
From Patek Philippe. “In this showcase you will discover the Patek Philippe desk clock Reference 27000M-001 Patek Philippe longed to unite tradition and innovation in a desk clock offering both a perpetual calendar and a weekly calendar. Launched in 2025, the result was a brand new manually wound caliber combining a 31-day power reserve, rate accuracy within a range of +/– 1 second per 24 hours and ease of use worthy of a 21st century timepiece. This jewel of technical and engineering prowess, crafted in silver, also stands out by the timeless refinement of its exterior, enriched with green Grand Feu flinqué enameling.”
The Manufacture, Research and Development, and Patents Room
We haven’t taken you inside the Patek Philippe manufacture in some time, but Patek brought a touch of that to Milan, showing their movements and manufacturing capabilities, then moving into a room focused on R&D (including the brand’s Advanced Research models) and patents.
While I didn’t photograph or record the conversation, members of the R&D team were happy to explain the new 5978P perpetual calendar chronograph, the technical challenges, and other technical developments in the industry, as well as similar patents they’ve filed. We discussed the use of silicon and bistable elements, and the head of R&D told me I could learn more by searching Patek’s own patents on the subject. Patents are divisive, sometimes even signaling upcoming plans, but Patek proudly displayed many of its in-use patents.
All of the calibers used by Patek Philippe.
A demonstration of all the dial finishing for the Nautilus, plus the creation of a bracelet.
How the bracelet looks in an exploded view.
A journalist walks past a display of technical illustrations.
The watch collectors call “The Terminator,” the Advanced Research Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5650G.
The last Advanced Research model, the ref. 5750.
The new ref. 5978P was not considered an Advanced Research model as it was just essentially the application of two separate technical designs that already existed.
A true prototype of the movement. Surprising to see in person as I don’t know I’ve ever seen a prototype case like this.
A wall of patented systems.
The Supercomplication Room
Unsurprisingly, there’s not much in this room, but what is here is incredibly impressive. The watches featured include an example of the Caliber 89—made in 1989 to celebrate Patek Philippe’s 150th anniversary—a Star Caliber 2000—made to celebrate the new millennium—and the Grandmaster Chime, launched in 2014 for Patek’s 175th Anniversary. At the moment, the Grandmaster Chime represents the pinnacle of modern Patek manufacturing, and therefore collecting. This wasn’t the only example on display in Milan.
A gentleman who I could only imagine was looking up how to get a loan to buy a Caliber 89 when the next one comes up at auction.
The Star Caliber 2000, the third most complicated Patek Philippe ever produced, with 21 complications.
You can see the celestial vault display through the semi-hunter caseback.
The Master of Sound Room
From there, we walk through a technical plan hallway, with more diagrams on the wall. We didn’t stop in other rooms, and we’ll end with a visit to a watchmaker’s bench to see a watch being put together. The last large, impressive space focused on Patek’s chiming watches. You can, of course, see these watches in the brand’s online catalog, but there’s something impressive about seeing them in raw photos, closer to what it’s like in person than many people get.
The technical plan hallway.
As you move through the room, you can also click on the map online and listen to some of the watches, which is a cool experience in itself. With that, I hope you enjoyed the tour through the Milan Watch Art Grand Exhibition with some fraction of as much as I did, and if you can, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the next one, in a yet-to-be-announced location.
The Master of Sound room, with some truly amazing pieces.
The maximalist ref. 5260/355R-001 and 5260/1455R-001 Aquanaut Luce minute repeaters, with the associated jewelry available to clients. I spoke on background with someone with knowledge of production capabilities and the fully gem-set version is apparently produced in about two to three pieces per year. I know I might be in the minority, but I love these watches for how wildly over-the-top they are.
The much beloved ref. 5531G-001, with the beautiful dial featuring a steamboat on Lake Geneva.
The ref. 7074G that was launched this year.
The ref. 7047G for Milan.
The gem-set ref. 5374/300P, with diamonds and sapphires.
The Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300/401G, with sapphires and diamonds.
For more on the Patek Philippe Milan Watch Art Grand Exhibition, visit the brand’s website.
