News For the first time in Germany, Patek Philippe presents its timepieces and the riches of its 174 year-old history.
In January 2012, in Dubai, Patek Philippe inaugurated its exhibition entitled «Watch Art Grand Exhibition». It subsequently embarked on a world tour, and from 17 to 27 October this year took up residence in Munich, where it was staged in the art gallery of the Hypo cultural foundation (Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung), in the centre of the Bavarian capital. Why this choice? Thierry Stern, the brand’s CEO: «We’ve come to Munich because it’s a city that lays great store by the values on which Patek Philippe built its success: tradition and innovation, as well as an appreciation of superior craftsmanship and a passion for art and culture».
Focusing on three themes - museum, craftsmanship and manufactory – the exhibition covers a floor space of around 1,200 m2 and is divided into ten different areas. Visitors are greeted by the Patek Philippe Lounge, a faithful reconstruction of the comfortable rooms on the Rue du Rhône in Geneva where the brand’s current collections are displayed. The visit continues with a presentation of Grand Complications, illuminated in large, elegant display cabinets. A fairytale space presents the Star Caliber 2000 model, the third most complicated watch ever produced. Its movement, which includes around 1,100 components, was manufactured and assembled in the brand’s workshops. The rich history of movements created by Patek Philippe is also highlighted in a room set aside for this purpose. Large sliding glass panels are a fun way for visitors to see both faces of the different calibres. Originality is also to the fore in the acoustic presentation of Minute-Repeaters in the Multimedia room: here, visitors sit in a bubble-shaped chair specially designed to recreate the sonority of watch gongs.
A space dedicated to the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva illustrates the brand’s rich heritage through rare and unique timepieces, representing more than 500 years of European watchmaking history. Here the brand also presents four Dome table clocks, produced specially for the Munich exhibition and inspired by Bavarian rites and customs. Watches set with precious stones – unique pieces in the city’s colours – also adorn the display cabinets in this Museum room.
The next stage of the exhibition introduces visitors to the Napoléon Lounge, where they can relax in comfortable sofas and admire in real time the view of Lake Geneva and the famous water fountain… as if they were seated in the brand’s lounges on the Rue du Rhône in Geneva. Lively and popular demonstrations carried out by artisans from the Geneva manufactory, illustrating techniques such as engraving, enamelling, precious stone-setting and engine-turning, are also among the attractions offered by the exhibition.
KunstWerkUhr has not only been visited by many of Munich’s residents, known for their love of art and history, but also by horology enthusiasts from all over the world. Firms, groups of students and even school classes have also discovered this presentation.
With this exhibition Patek Philippe offers an exclusive retrospective of an uninterrupted history dating back more than 174 years, and confirmation of its impressive watchmaking heritage. KunstWerkUhr, or rather Watch Art Grand Exhibition, will continue its tour in 2015 in the United Kingdom.
November 14, 2013
