Patek Philippe presents The Art of Watches Grand Exhibition New York July 13th - 23rd 2017

Patek Philippe presents

The Art of Watches Grand Exhibition New York 2017

Patek Philippe is delighted to present The Art of Watches, Grand Exhibition New York 2017 which will take place from July 13th – 23rd, 2017 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York. The 10-day public exhibition will showcase Patek Philippe’s tradition of high-precision watch manufacturing, an insight into the company’s 178-year history as well as its heritage in the domain of Haute Horologerie. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover the world of the last privately family owned Geneva watch company from the inside.

For the first time ever a two-story structure has been created within Cipriani to accommodate the square footage required for an exhibition of this scale. Ten specific rooms (including the Theater Room, Current Collection Room, Museum Room, US Historic Room, Rare Handcrafts Gallery and Grand Complications Room) have been created to showcase unique environments. Visitors will have access to exceptional pocket and wrist watches dating back to 1530 in a space of 13,218 square feet. Watchmaker and Artisan demonstrations are some of the interactive activities taking place during the exhibition as a way to educate visitors on the inner-workings of fine watchmaking. After visitors have concluded their tour they are welcome to rest and relax in the Patek Philippe Café.

According to Jasmina Steele, the International Communication & Public Relations Director of Patek Philippe, the aim of the Grand Exhibition is to recreate elements of the company that will provide an unforgettable experience for each visitor as close as possible to the feeling Patek Philippe guests have when they visit the company’s manufacture in Geneva, The Museum, and the historical Salons on the Rue du Rhone. “By offering visitors an immersion inside the world of Patek Philippe, we really want to share our passion for watchmaking and hope visitors will come out of the Exhibition with a greater knowledge and appreciation of the art of watches”, says Jasmina.

Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern commented “From its earliest days, when our founder Antoine Norbert de Patek made his first journey to America in the 1850’s until today, the importance of America to Patek Philippe can be seen through our history exhibited in the Grand Exhibition in New York. Moreover, it is a tradition in my family that the owners of Patek Philippe train in the new world, following the path of my grandfather Henri who founded in 1946 the Henri Stern Watch Agency in the Rockefeller Center and my father Philippe, I trained in the US when I started in the company. I am very proud that American visitors will be able to learn more about the historic and contemporary ties between our company and the American market.”

Larry Pettinelli, President of Patek Philippe US added “We are tremendously proud to have been allowed this rare opportunity to educate the public not only about Patek Philippe, but also the historical significance of timekeeping through the ages.” Additionally, Pettinelli commented “New York was a logical choice for the US Grand Exhibition, as this was one of the first landing spots for Patek and Philippe in the 1800’s when they began to explore the new world.”

The Art of Watches, Grand Exhibition will be open to the general public and free of charge from 10:00am to 7:00pm Monday through Sunday, and with special extended evening hours on Thursday, July 20th from 10:00am to 9:00pm. Guided tours will be available on a daily basis. School tours and a Family Day will be planned as part of the educational objective.

For further information and images please contact:
Jessica Kingsland, Public Relations Manager for Patek Philippe US
jkingsland@patekus.com
212-218-1272

Note to editors:

Film Theater room
The Patek Philippe historical movie will be shown here

The Current Collection room
This gallery showcasing the current collection is designed to replicate the Patek Philippe Salon on the
Rue du Rhone in Geneva

The Napoleon room
Visitors will be transported to the magical Patek Philippe Salon on the Rue du Rhone, Geneva and will
be captivated by the incredible live view over Lake Geneva. The Napoleon Room will showcase limited
edition timepieces created specifically for the US market.

The Museum room
Very much like the Museum in Geneva, this room will be divided into two sections. In the first section
the Antique Collection (1600’s-1900’s) will present some of the greatest historical timepieces spanning
the last five centuries, including the earliest watches ever made. The second section will highlight
historical Patek Philippe timepieces dating back our inception in 1839.

The US Historic room
A special room created for the US Grand Exhibition only to showcase significant timepieces from historic
US collectors.

The Rare Handcrafts Gallery
Live Artisans will demonstrate the techniques used to decorate our enamel timepieces and dome clocks
while showcasing their skills. In this gallery, where rare handcrafted timepieces are exhibited, we learn
about the company’s commitment to rare handcrafts, past, present and future.

The Watchmakers’ room
In this room Patek Philippe master watchmakers will take you on an exploration of the inner workings
of mechanical timepieces.

The Grand Complications room
A rare glimpse at Patek Philippe’s most complicated and innovative timepieces all in one space at one
time. Our collection of Grand Complications showcases our technical prowess and innovation

The Movement room
A room dedicated to many different types of Patek Philippe movements ranging from our more basic
Calibers to the Calibers created for some of the most complicated timepieces in the world

Interactive room and Manufacturing Film
An immersive experience bringing the viewer on a journey to the Patek Philippe Manufacture in Geneva

Please note that a dedicated email address will be forthcoming in February for general public inquiries.

About Henri Stern Watch Agency

The Henri Stern Watch Agency manages all of the business operations for Patek Philippe in the United States. Patek Philippe has had a long and significant history in the US, with Patek timepieces being sold in this market since the 1850’s. In 1935 Henri Stern solidified a presence in the US by leasing an office space in Rockefeller Center, where the company remains. The Henri Stern Watch Agency was officially incorporated in 1946. HSWA currently has 57 employees which includes 20 watchmakers, and is the sole distributor and official service center for the United States. Patek Philippe timepieces are currently offered at 96 authorized retail locations throughout the country. In October, 2015 the Patek Philippe Institute of New York was created to provide watchmaking training to selected students. At the end of the two-year program graduates will be able to successfully repair all level 2 Patek Philippe timepieces and will have the potential to join the HSWA watchmaking workshop.