Time for a good story

SWISS FIRM Patek Philippe has been making clocks and wristwatches since 1839 and has in that time amassed many amazing stories. They’re all recounted in the book “Patek Philippe: The Authorised Biography”.
The 500-page book by Nicholas Foulkes, a specialist in art and horology, was published in English last November with more languages to come. 
It can be ordered from www.Patek.com for 220 Swiss francs (Bt7,800). Thai connoisseurs can also check with PMT The Hour Glass, Cortina and TKI, which will be receiving limited stocks.

Delving into the evolution of the Geneva-based manufacturer, Foulkes interviewed owners, staff and craftsmen past and present and had access to hitherto unseen documents from its archives.
Patek Philippe founder Antoine Norbert de Patek had been a cavalry officer in his native Poland but was exiled following a doomed uprising. He moved to Geneva, met watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe and they went into business together.
In 1932 the Stern family purchased the company and has, over four generations, built on its early success.
Among its many anecdotes, “The Authorised Biography” reveals the story of a timepiece that Britain’s Queen Victoria bought for her husband, Prince Albert. Foulkes also interviewed the widow of famed Swiss jewellery designer Gerald Genta, who conceived the original Nautilus watch in 1976.
The richly illustrated book examines trends in the art of watchmaking within an historical context. Previously unpublished photos include one of a watch loaned to the company by Queen Elizabeth II. Other photos taken by Andy Barter, Richard Foster, Jonas Marguet and Jennifer Niederhauser Schlup were specially commissioned for the book.
“Nicholas Foulkes has perfectly recreated the atmosphere and details of our 175-year journey,” says the firm’s honorary president, Philippe Stern.
Meanwhile at Baselworld 2017 in March, Patek Philippe unveiled the Reference 5320G Perpetual Calendar that it characterised as “literally crafted for perpetuity”. 
It automatically indicates months with 28 30, and 31 days and, every four years, the 29th of February. You’re seeing past, present and future at the same time. 
The same cream-coloured dial has been seen on Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendars since 1941 – a double aperture for the day and month at 12 o’clock and a subsidiary dial at 6 for the analogue date and moon phases. Now there’s also a small day-night aperture between 7 and 8 o’clock and another for the leap-year cycle between 4 and 5. 
Applied-gold Arabic numerals and sharp-tipped luminous hands, a slender sweep seconds hand, and the crisply graduated seconds-scale assure superb legibility of a dial resting on a complex mechanical movement.
The Reference 4899/900 boasts a large mother-of-pearl dial that showcases the talents of the jeweller and engraver. 
The gently rounded silhouette of the white-gold case sets an ideal stage for the precious-stone settings, with several staggered rows composed of 149 flawless Top Wesselton brilliant-cut diamonds that alternate with 182 brilliant-cut rose sapphires with varying colour intensities along the periphery. 

Like sand in an hourglass, the gems of different sizes appear to be randomly set in the lower half of the dial – 98 rare white diamonds at the top and 89 sapphires with varying rose hues at the bottom.
In tribute to the 20th anniversary of its sporty Aquanaut collection, Patek Philippe’s 42mm Reference 5168G men’s watch in 18K white gold is the largest in the line. The format pays tribute to the original 1976 Nautilus, which was nicknamed “Jumbo”.
Also new is the night-blue shade of the dial, which darkens to black toward the outside. Applied Arabic numerals in white gold complement the luminous five-minute markers, also appliques in white gold. But the design of the gently rounded octagonal bezel with vertically satin-finished flats and chamfered polished flanks remains unchanged. 
The case accommodates the self-winding Calibre 324 S C movement. Merely 3.3 millimetres in height, the movement is so flat that, even with its elaborate seals and gaskets, the complete watch is merely 8.25mm thick. 
Its heavy central rotor in 21K gold provides ample energy. With a maximum deviation of -3 to +2 seconds per day, the rate accuracy of the watch is remarkable. The gold rotor is decorated with perlage and Geneva circular graining, as well as an engraved Calatrava cross, a registered trademark of Patek Philippe.