Press release
Patek Philippe, Geneva
October 2015
New Patek Philippe Horology Programme of New York Confirms Strong Commitment toCustomer ServiceThe Patek Philippe Horology Programme of New York, the second program of its kind locatedoutside the watchmaker’s Geneva workshops, has just been officially inaugurated. The
establishment of this watchmaking training center in New York confirms Patek Philippe'sunwavering commitment to customer service and to servicing the U.S.market.
The skills required to service, repair and restore Patek Philippe watches are much the sameas those required to make one. With the opening of the second Patek Philippe Horology
Programme outside Geneva, in the heart of New York City, the company further extends its
commitment to lifelong servicing and restoration for all its timepieces, forever preserving
their legendary reliability.
Enhancing Patek Philippe Customer Service in the US
Providing high quality customer service in global markets requires local qualified watchmakers
who are trained to the Patek Philippe values and quality seal standards. "Opening a newwatchmaking training center in New York will allow us to respond to increasing demand forcustomer services as well as provide us with qualified trained professionals", declared Laurent
Cantin, Head of International Customer Service for Patek Philippe and of the new training center.
The Henri Stern Watch Agency (HSWA) is the historical Patek Philippe subsidiary in the US. Its
watch service center in New York is one of the most important in terms of volume of service
requests and therefore of needs for qualified professionals. Around 10,000 watches are repaired
each year by only 19 watchmakers. With increasing awareness and acquisitions of fine watches
amongst American customers, the need for future repairs is growing steadily, placing even more
importance on filling watchmaking positions. “We are extremely excited about the opportunity todevelop trained watchmakers here in the US. It addresses the fundamental difficulty the entire
watchmaking industry has finding highly trained, qualified technicians to preserve complex
mechanical timepieces", said Larry Pettinelli, President of HSWA.
After 22 years at 1 Rockefeller Plaza, HSWA moved to 45 Rockefeller Plaza in February 2013 tostate of the art upgraded facilities with cutting edge technology to provide the same quality
servicing as in Geneva. Now with the opening of the Patek Philippe Horology Programme of New
York, the building blocks for sustaining increasing demand for customer service in the future isbeing addressed.

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

Page 2

Patek Philippe Trains Watchmakers Worldwide
The opening of the Patek Philippe Horology Programme of New York is yet another step in thecompany's intention to raise the quality of training and increase the pool of professional
watchmakers. The opening of the Patek Philippe Institute Shanghai in 2013 was a great successin fulfilling this purpose in the Far East. In 2015, The New York Horology Programme will beutilizing the same successful curriculum as in Shanghai.
In the US the younger generation is not as aware of watchmaking as a potential career choice,as is traditionally the case in Europe. There are few candidates coming out of the handful ofwatchmaking schools in the US and of these candidates, even fewer are able to be considered
for the Patek Philippe workshop. The selection and specialized training the program willcontribute will help to resolve this problem.
Highly Competitive Access to a Patek Philippe Career in the US
The Patek Philippe Horology Programme of New York aims to become the most comprehensive
in-house training center. Apprentices who will follow the complete two-year training program are
selected from a large pool of candidates and will be offered a long-term position once they havesuccessfully completed the curriculum. Almost 300 applications have been received for the 6positions offered for the fall program. The very first session began in September 2015.
The two-year program aims to train apprentices in advanced theory and practice of finewatchmaking, more particularly machining and manual skills, to fully master Patek Philippequartz and mechanical movements. At the end of their training, graduates will be able tosuccessfully repair all Level 2 watches. They must be able to independently identify, analyze andsolve problems in quartz, manual and automatic movements. “We are thrilled that the program
will expose the world of watchmaking to six special candidates”, said Larry Pettinelli, Presidentof HSWA.
Laurent Junod, who was appointed Director of Technical Training at the Patek Philippe Horology
Programme New York, added: "Working for Patek Philippe over these last 27 years, I have gainedexperience as well as a deep appreciation for the fine timepieces we create. I look forward topassing on my knowledge of and passion for Patek Philippe watches to the next generation ofwatchmakers.”
The Heritage of Patek Philippe Service
At Patek Philippe, the international customer service network runs as a non-profit center withinvestment from the company. In the global network of 55 Authorized Service Centers, each
one is handpicked and accredited based on achieving and maintaining a level of service thatadheres to strict quality criteria. A fundamental goal of Patek Philippe is taking care ofcustomers as individuals, with unique needs, whilst maintaining consistency in providing thehighest level of support – as can be expected from a watch company founded in 1839, andmanaged by the same family since 1932.
In addition to Patek Philippe’s exceptional technology, know-how, and talents of the Geneva
watchmaker, three of the most powerful driving forces pushing the brand forward are thePage 3Patek Philippe Seal, the Authorized Service Centers and the Patek Philippe training centerswhich together will preserve the longevity and integrity of each and every Patek Philippe
timepiece.