Patek Philippe Watch – Quality and Maintenance

A Patek Philippe watch is one of the most expensive in the world. In fact, Forbes lists a 1933 gold Patek Philippe with 24 complications as the most expensive watch ever sold – a whopping $11 million. This particular watch was auctioned off at Sotheby’s.

Patek Philippe creates what experts agree to be the finest timepieces in the world. The watches are timekeeping instruments of benchmark stature. They are also works of art whose beauty reflects their mechanical perfection. Timelessly elegant, these Swiss made watches are proudly handed down form one generation to the next. Patek Philippe popular models include the Calatrava, Annual Calendar, Nautilus, Gondolo, Aquanaut and Ladies Twenty-4.

Going on a tour through history, it was in 1868 that the first Patek Philippe wristwatch was made. It was started by Polish watchmaker Antoni Norbert Patek in Geneva. Swiss-made and masterfully crafted, the Patek Philippe brand is now recognized throughout the world as a top collectible among watch enthusiasts.

Patek even created the most complicated watch with 33 mechanical complications, unchallenged as the only one with the most complications as it is even able to add the extra day to February during leap years.

So if you own one of the sought after Patek Philippe watches, then it is a rightful given that you are also a very wealthy or an extra lucky person as these watches are being auctioned off to the tune of millions of dollars at the classiest auction houses in the world. There is even a Patek Philippe museum in Geneva honoring the time valued timepieces.

First, wristwatches should be service every couple of years. These are mechanical devices and they are, of course, not free from failure. If you are a big watch enthusiast and have personally learned and mastered the art and science behind taking care of timepieces, then consider yourself a guru and you can surely repair any concerns with your own wristwatches.

Second, I cannot stress it more that you should go to an authorized repair shop with craftsmen who are well versed to the mechanical ongoing of a watch. If you go the frugal route and let some unauthorized watch repair shop handle your precious timepiece, sometimes they change the mechanical pieces that makes it exceptionally work. Make sure that you completely trust the repair man and that they have the genuine parts needed in the repairing of your watch. You do not want a generic part on your watch for that would be a travesty of epic proportions.

Third, since most of these have crystal inside the mechanical device, you need to make sure that the part to be replaced should also be the same crystal. If it is a plastic crystal, please do not replace it with another form of crystal like sapphire. This does not put extra value on your timepiece, and it will be frowned upon by the watch enthusiasts of the world. You should always stick with original and genuine parts. Take this note; those parts were specifically chosen by the company craftsmen to particularly work in union with all the parts of the watch.

Finally, do always mind the leather. Do think of the humidity of the place where you keep it. If you have a timepiece with a leather strap, this should always be kept in mind, do not put it directly on sunlight as it will make the leather lose its natural strength and it might chap. Beware of the solutions you use in polishing the leather, too.

These are just some of the important things to remember in taking care of your Patek Philippe watch. Be mindful of these thins and your timepiece will serve its work and elegance. And unless a mater of life and death, do not just sell you watch without knowing the appraisal value of it. You can even make it a heirloom piece for with proper protection and care, it will stay with the family through generations.