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The passage of time

Published: 17/10/2007 - Filed under: Archive » 2007 » November 2007 » Lifestyle » Features » Lifestyle » Watches »

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The Patek Philippe Museum is a treasure chest of jewellery, fine art and, of course, watches. Opened in 2001, it quickly became a must-see for visitors to Geneva, and its internationally-important collection became even more so after the city’s Museum of the Watch and Clock Industry suffered such a catastrophic burglary in November 2002 that it has never reopened.

The fact that the thieves targeted the museum in the first place demonstrates the current mania for rare watches – or timepieces as they are known at this level. The Swiss watchmaking industry has been through some tough patches, most famously in the 1970s when the arrival of quartz threatened its very existence, but it is currently riding high, with watch brands wielding international clout, particularly in emerging markets such as China and India. If you thought this was something new, however, think again – as the exhibits in the museum demonstrate, the watch trade in Geneva has aimed at these overseas markets from the very start. Indeed Turkey, in the form of the Ottoman Empire, and China have historically been fruitful areas for European watches.

The museum is housed in a beautifully restored industrial building in the Plainpalais district of Geneva, about a 20-minute walk from the main shopping street of Les Rues-Basses on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank). It has three floors of exhibits, and tours start on the ground floor where there is an exhibition of antique workbenches and tools from the 18th to the 20th century.

A brief film is shown and then it’s up to the third floor. Here, the archives of Patek are housed, illustrating the early history of the firm. There is also a large library of some 7,000 works on horology, dating back hundreds of years.

The next floor down is where the earliest watches are displayed (“The Antique Collection”), the oldest being a halsuhr – a watch with a cover in the shape of a drum which was designed to be worn around the neck and was made in southern Germany around 1530. However, the majority of the collection is, of course, comprised of pocket watches – being able to check the time on your wrist was an innovation which only really came in around the time of the First World War. (And for those less interested in watches than in jewellery or painting, there are hundreds of objects to be marvelled at, including detailed portrait miniatures on enamel.)

There are various theories as to how Geneva became the centre of the watchmaking industry, but the expulsion of the Huguenot families from France to Switzerland played its part. Another factor was John Calvin’s disapproval of ostentatious display, which meant that creative expertise was channelled into watchmaking, supposedly a more utilitarian trade – alhough judging by these pieces, the ornamentation was in no way subdued. Beautifully displayed in a golden light, the exhibits have both French and English labelling, and there’s a detailed exhibition guide available, although for most visitors, taking a guided tour is the best way to see the museum.

There are watches here by many of the great watchmakers, both Swiss and foreign, including several from UK workshops. There are also numerous examples of watches made for the Chinese market, with the reign of Qianlong (1736-1796) being a particular era of growth. Some watchmakers even settled in China, until the Opium War (1839-1842) led to a decline in business. In pieces made for this market, there is often a pairing, or the use of a mirror, to create the duality of yin and yang principles.

The Antique Collection includes timepieces from all over the world, but none from Patek Philippe itself – the company is a relative newcomer to the industry, not having started producing watches until 1839. The first floor is where you’ll find a huge collection of the firm’s own watches, including a pair of fabulous pieces made for two American collectors – automobile engineer James Ward Packard and New York financier Henry Graves Jr.

Unlike most collections, however, where it is relatively easy to pick out the truly outstanding exhibits, each floor of the museum has so many remarkable objects that a gentle shake of the head in disbelief seems the only appropriate reaction. The sheer ingenuity of the movements, the value of the pieces, the prices paid for them, the artistry and the wonder of them are astounding. And, despite the fact that for the last 30 years it’s been possible to have a perfectly accurate quartz watch, the innovation still continues.

Collected by the Stern family, owners of Patek Philippe since the 1930s, the museum is a fitting tribute to Henri Stern’s passion for watchmaking, enamelling and jewellery. What’s even more remarkable is that the museum is not a commercial proposition at all. The number of visitors each year (around 15,000) and the cost of entry would hardly be enough to pay the insurance of these objects, let alone run the place, yet it remains open to all.

And if, after being dazzled by the craftsmanship of the centuries, you are bitten by the bug, you can always walk down to the Patek Philippe boutique on Rue du Rhone on the Rive Gauche to see what’s for sale in 2007.

Fact file

Patek Philippe Museum

Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 7; tel +41 22 807 09 10; patekmuseum.com.

Open Tues-Fri 2pm-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm. Closed Sun-Mon and bank holidays.

Guided tours by appointment and on Saturdays at 2pm (in French) and at 2.30pm (in English). Entry CHF10 (£4).

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