Patek Philippe Geneva
June 2021
The Patek Philippe “Craftsmanship and Precision Competition” : An eleventh edition under thesign of excellence
To encourage promising young talent and help train the next generation, Patek Philippe createdin 2010 a timing and adjusting watch competition intended for students of Swiss watchmaking
schools. The 2020 edition was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but Patek Philippe wishedto maintain the 2021 edition by adapting it to these exceptional circumstances, and thus pursue
the fruitful partnership with Swiss watchmaking schools.
A Patek Philippe timepiece is intended to be passed on from generation to generation. Similarly, theskills required to create such fine timepieces must also be carefully preserved and constantly fostered.
As a guardian of this know-how, the Geneva Manufacture continuously trains watchmakers in itsworkshops. Since 2010, it has also been engaged in a long-term partnership with Swiss watchmaking
schools. This is how the Patek Philippe “Craftsmanship and Precision Competition” was born. Designedto motivate the new generation, this watchmaking award stands out thanks to its educational approach.
Offering a total immersion in the world of fine watchmaking, it aims to raise awareness among future
experts of the concept of craftsmanship by offering them the uniqu e opportunity to examine a high-end
caliber, all of the components of which have been manufactured and finished with utmost care.
An Adapted Contest Format
In order to maintain the level of quality and expectations of the Competition, while respecting the sanitary
procedures in force, it was agreed that the contestants would not go to Patek Philippe in Plan-lesOuates, but rather that the organizing committee of the competition would visit the schools.
Three teams of two instructors, all coming from various Patek Philippe departments (Watchmaking,Haute Horlogerie and International Customer Service), visited the six participating schools during fourdays. As in previous editions, 18 students selected by the six watchmaking schools were offered
theoretical training, as well as a series of practical exercises intended to best prepare them for thecompetition the next day. On March 18 and 19, the evaluations took place in the schools of Porrentruy,
Bienne and Grenchen, while those in the schools of Geneva, the Vallée de Joux and Le Locle took placeon March 22 and 23. A new format was prepared and carried out in the same way in the sixestablishments.
The second day was mainly devoted to the competition itself. For the second time, the test began witha completely dismantled movement, the manually-wound caliber 215, which had to be assembled before
setting and adjusting it the six positions, as specified by the standards and criteria of the Patek Philippe
Seal. Another novelty was that the steel balance spring used in previous editions was replaced by aSpiromax® balance spring made of Silinvar®, a silicon derivative integrated into the 215 caliber in 2019.
A way of introducing participants to the Patek Philippe tradition of innovation and raise their awarenessof the alliance between mechanics and new technologies which characterizes Patek Philippe’s
contemporary watchmaking – and will distinguish it in the future.

PATEK PHILIPPE SA GENEVE
Chemin du Pont-du-Centenaire 141 – 1228 Plan-les-Ouates
P.O. Box 2654 – CH – 1211 Geneva 2 – Switzerland
Tel. + 41 22 884 20 20 – Fax + 41 22 884 25 47 – www.patek.com

Page 2The know-how of the 18 students was assessed by an internal jury, comprising several Patek Philippespecialists, including a master watchmaker. The candidates were mainly evaluated on their performancein terms of precision, but also on craftsmanship – two essential criteria of the Patek Philippe Seal.
The results, which were very well balanced, have once again confirmed the excellent quality of thetraining provided by Swiss watchmaking schools and its constant progress.
A Virtual Awards Ceremony
The awards ceremony took place on Friday June 4 by video conference. The trophy was presented tothe contest winner in person after his name was announced at the end of the ceremony. Awards andcertificates will be sent later. All students are due to receive a certificate of participation signed by Patek
Philippe President Thierry Stern, a book on an exceptional Patek Philippe model, the Star Caliber 2000,
a cap, as well as two tickets to the Patek Philippe Museum. The first five winners will also r eceive amagnificent tool kit. The first three are in addition offered an internship of one to two weeks with thePatek Philippe International Customer Service. The winner of the first prize, Raphaël Jaton from theVallée de Joux school, will have the chance to complete a three-week internship at the Plan-les-Ouates
Manufacture in the Watchmaking, International Customer Service and Haute Horlogerie divisions.
The novelty this year was the trophy. The Porrentruy school, having won the competition over the past
three years, was definitively awarded the trophy created in 2008. Being the centerpiece of the trophy,
the balance spring was maintained in this new edition, but its aesthetics were revised into a more
contemporary design. It was developed by different departments of the Manufacture and thenassembled by the jeweler based in Geneva, Mr. Stefani.
In eleven editions of the competition, Patek Philippe has already provided 198 students with thiseducational process and offered 55 weeks of internship, including 11 abroad. Each edition of this event,which requires over seven months of preparation, involves 10 to 15 specialists and organizers fromdifferent Patek Philippe divisions.
Patek Philippe intends to run its “Craftsmanship and Precision Competition” again in the spring of 2022,
in collaboration with the six Swiss watchmaking schools, and thus contribute to the transmission of its
know-how to future generations of watchmakers.
Winners of the 2021 Patek Philippe “Craftsmanship and Precision Competition”
1st prize
Mr Raphaël Jaton – ETVJ – École Technique de la Vallée de Joux
2nd prize
Mr Simon Ducommun – CEJEF – École des Métiers Techniques de Porrentruy
3rd prize
Ms Ayuri Arulampalam – CEJEF – École des Métiers Techniques de Porrentruy
4th prize
Mr Daniel Martinez – BBZ – Zeitzentrum Uhrmacherschule de Grenchen
5th prize
Mr Alexandre Rüfenacht - CFP – Lycée Technique de Bienne
Participating Schools• CFPT – École d’Horlogerie de Genève• ETVJ – École Technique de la Vallée de Joux
• CEJEF – École des Métiers Techniques de Porrentruy• CIFOM – École Technique du Locle• BBZ – Zeitzentrum Uhrmacherschule de Grenchen• CFP – Lycée Technique de Bienne

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Members of the Patek Philippe Jury
Carlos Dos Santos (Head of timing workshop and jury chairman)
Patrick Conus (Head of the Tourbillon workshop and master-watchmaker)
Vincent Lemmelet (Head of international technical training)
Luc Vallet (Training coordinator)