HOME COMPANY COLLECTION COMMUNICATION INSIDER LANGUAGES RETAIL NETWORK CLIENT SERVICE SEARCH 175th anniversary Company > Library Collectors Library Since 1982, Patek Philippe has provided essential reference works for enthusiasts, collectors and dealers in fine watches. The volumes, covering pocket watches and wristwatches, have played a large part in the renewal of interest in finest quality horology. Today, each of the publications in the Patek Philippe Collector’s Library explores the fascinating world of watches from a different angle. Beautiful photographs illustrate the watch references in the company’s 160 years of production. These publications – from a detailed catalog to a unique book for a unique watch – contribute to a greater appreciation of horology and increase the pleasure of owning a fine watch. They will form the nucleus of every collector’s library. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime The book produced by Patek Philippe is dedicated entirely to the centerpiece of the manufacture’s 175th anniversary: the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, uniting fine watchmaking and the rare handcrafts. The anniversary’s masterwork, the Grandmaster Chime grand-complication wristwatch reinvents the music of time with a Grande Sonnerie, a Petite Sonnerie, a minute repeater and two unprecedented functions: an alarm that strikes the alarm time, and an acoustic date indication. This unique repertoire, enriched by an instantaneous perpetual calendar, is housed in a magnificent double-face case lavishly hand-engraved with a decoration of laurel leaves and fitted with a revolutionary reversing mechanism. The book follows the timepiece from its conception to its assembly in the manufacture’s workshops and also provides a wealth of technical detail. It is intended to enable both specialists and newcomers to the world of the complicated watch to immerse themselves in the GrandMaster Chime’s features. Published as a limited edition, this work offers a splendid insight into Patek Philippe’s philosophy: that of preserving the finest horological and craft traditions while developing the technical innovations that will be enjoyed by future generations. ORDER Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 200 pages, 25 x 29 cm See example of pages Patek Philippe Museum Catalog – Patek Philippe timepieces from 1839 to 1980’s This catalog, comprising two volumes, illustrates the significant timepieces produced by Patek Philippe since its beginnings in 1839 to the 1980’s. It is the first-ever catalog dedicated to the timepieces on show at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. With a total of 928 pages, the two-volume catalog presents 1005 watches. ORDER Patek Philippe Museum Catalog – Patek Philippe timepieces from 1839 to 1980’s Volume 1 – pocket watches Volume 2 – pocket watches and wristwatches 928 pages, 28.5 x 25.5 cm See example of pages Star Caliber 2000 The Star Caliber 2000 is a proud milestone in the history of watchmaking and merits a publication of appropriate importance. Patek Philippe, in cooperation with Editions Scriptar (Switzerland), published a book devoted exclusively to this extraordinary pocket watch. The richly illustrated and painstakingly detailed work is divided into three chapters: the first sheds light on the development of the watch, the second is dedicated to the poetic aspects of the Star Caliber 2000; the third chapter presents explanations supported by diagrams and photographs which help the reader to understand the technological aspects and innovations which make the Star Caliber 2000 so unusual. The epic biography of this watch gives an opportunity to discover the enchanting world of the Star Caliber 2000. It offers newcomers to the world of complicated watches and specialists alike, insights into the philosophy of Patek Philippe: to safeguard and preserve the most eminent watchmaking traditions and, at the same time, to develop technical innovations that will delight future generations. A DVD featuring films of the “Star Caliber 2000” and “10 Days” is included in the book, "A trip into the heart of a watch". ORDER Star Caliber 2000 136 pages, 30 × 30 cm, full color illustrations. See example of pages Patek Philippe Wristwatches Anyone who owns or intends to acquire a Patek Philippe wristwatch will need to consult this book. Sister volume to Pocket Watches, Patek Philippe Wristwatches (by the same partnership of Huber and Banbery) made a major contribution to the growing popularity of fine wristwatches as collectors’ items by providing an illustrated reference to more than 400 timepieces. Photographs of the great and rare wristwatches convey the desirability of these priceless objects. Contributing illustrator, David Penney, has brought technical drawing to an art form with illustrations and diagrams showing how complicated mechanisms work. This book is very close in style to a catalog of Patek Philippe’s wristwatches, giving model numbers, serial numbers, calibers and dates of manufacturing for each representative piece or unique watch. ORDER Patek Philippe Wristwatches (second edition) 1998. 364 pages, 25 × 28 cm – 417 black and white illustrations, 262 color illustrations. See example of pages Patek Philippe Pocket Watches Patek Philippe’s first lavishly illustrated volume on pocket watches is the definitive reference work on the company’s production, from the first Patek & Czapek watches of 1839. Some 280 watches are illustrated and described, including pocket watches of elegance and beauty, made for popes, princesses, Balkan kings and, of course, Queen Victoria. The complicated watches made for American magnates, including the legendary Graves watch, are described in detailed captions and color illustrations. There is a charming chapter on the adventures of the firm’s founder, Antoine Norbert de Patek, on a business trip to America in the 1850’s. On the technical side, chapters cover such themes as Jean Adrien Philippe’s stem-winding system, tourbillons, carousels, chronometrical competitions and complications. Written by the authority on Patek Philippe, Alan Banbery, with Patek Philippe’s leading enthusiast, Martin Huber, it yields fresh information and renewed enjoyment at every perusal. ORDER Patek Philippe Pocket Watches (second edition) 292 pages, 25 × 28 cm, full color and monochrome illustrations. See example of pages Timepieces for Royalty – 1850-1910 From the time of Queen Victoria’s reign until today, numerous rulers – Popes, monarchs and State leaders – have owned Patek Philippe watches or have offered such prestigious pieces as gifts. Due to the quality of the products, comprising a myriad of technical and aesthetic innovations and the firm’s presence at numerous Universal Exhibitions, the Genevan watch manufacturer, founded in 1839, acquired a reputation of excellence answering to a well-informed clientele. Produced between 1850 and World War I, the watches presented in this catalog have a direct association with the crowned heads or descendants of royal blood of old Europe and more distant regions. These royal timepieces are today the exceptional, sometimes intimate, testimonies of the lives of their owners. ORDER Timepieces for Royalty – 1850-1910 by Patek Philippe, 2005. 192 pages, 21 × 29.7 cm, 124 pages of text – 31 illustrations in black and white, 119 illustrations in color. Separate versions in English or French. See example of pages The Legendary Watches from Patek Philippe’s Private Watch Museum The catalog of the exhibition showcasing “The Legendary Watches from Patek Philippe’s Private Watch Museum” contains a vast selection of timepieces presented to the public for the first time in 1989 on the occasion of Patek Philippe’s 150th anniversary. The collection was shown at the Musée de l’Horlogerie et de l’Emaillerie (Museum of Watchmaking and Enameling) in Geneva. The catalog follows the structure of the 1989 exhibition; it is an important source of information and a popular reference work on pocket watches and wristwatches. Numerous photographs, many of them close-ups, show richly decorated dials, elaborate enamel miniatures and intricate engravings as characteristic details of the horological master pieces that were chosen and acquired for the Patek Philippe private collection. ORDER The Legendary Watches from Patek Philippe’s Private Watch Museum, Catalog of the Musée de l’Horlogerie et de l’Emaillerie in Geneva (1989) 136 pages, 20 × 25.5 cm, color photos. Bilingual edition with text in French and English. See example of pages NEWS CONTACT SITE MAP GLOSSARY DOWNLOADS MUSEUM | | OWNERS ( ) © 2021 PATEK PHILIPPE SA - LEGAL NOTICES