Library

Star Caliber 2000

The Star Caliber 2000 is a proud milestone in the history of watchmaking and merits a publication of appropriate import. Patek Philippe, in cooperation with Editions Scriptar (Switzerland), is publishing a book devoted exclusively to this extraordinary pocket watch. The richly illustrated and painstakingly detailed work is divided into three chapters: the first sheds light on the development of the watch, the second is dedicated to the poetic aspects of the Star Caliber 2000 and the third chapter presents explanations supported by diagrams and photographs which help the reader to understand the technological aspects and innovations which make the Star Caliber 2000 so unusual. The epic biography of this watch gives an opportunity to discover the enchanting world of the Star Caliber 2000. It gives newcomers to the world of complicated watches and specialists alike, insights into the philosophy of Patek Philippe: to safeguard and preserve the most eminent watchmaking traditions and, at the same time, to develop technical innovations that will delight future generations.
A DVD featuring the “Star Caliber 2000” and “10 Days” films is included in the book… A trip into the heart of a watch.
Star Caliber 2000: 136 pages, 30 × 30 cm, full color illustrations.

Voyage to the end of time

This unique book for a unique watch is the fascinating story of the Caliber 89, the most complicated portable timepiece ever built. A beautifully produced and illustrated study into the mechanical representation of time, it puts the Caliber 89 in the context of the great horological undertakings of the world. With the central theme of complicated watchmaking, the text examines the relationship between the celestial clock and its mechanical equivalent. It traces the link between the understanding of time and political power, from the rise of the priest kings of Egypt to the symbolic timepieces of the rulers, magnates and the intelligentsia of recent centuries. A separate section serves as the official owner’s manual of the Caliber 89, with exhaustive operational descriptions of the 33 complications. Detailed photography reveals the beauty of complicated mechanisms. A section unravels the mechanical logic of the perpetual secular calendar and the date of Easter mechanisms. Compact, comprehensive, and with a wealth of detail. A book to enjoy.
Voyage to the end of time: 131 pages, 25 × 28 cm, full color illustrations.

Patek Philippe Wristwatches

Anyone who owns or intends to acquire a Patek Philippe wristwatch will need to consult this book. Sister volume to Pocket Watches, Patek Philippe Wristwatches (by the same partnership of Huber and Banbery) made a major contribution to the growing popularity of fine wristwatches as collectors’ items by providing an illustrated reference to more than 400 timepieces. Photographs of the great and rare wristwatches convey the desirability of these priceless objects. Contributing illustrator, David Penney, has brought technical drawing to an art form with illustrations and diagrams showing how complicated mechanisms work. This book is very close in style to a catalog raisonné of Patek Philippe’s wristwatches, giving model numbers, serial numbers, calibers and dates of manufacturing for each representative piece or unique watch.
Patek Philippe Wristwatches (second edition): 1998. 364 pages, 25 × 28 cm – 417 black and white illustrations, 262 color illustrations.

Patek Philippe Pocket Watches

Patek Philippe’s first lavishly illustrated volume on pocket watches is the definitive reference work on the company’s production, from the first Patek & Czapek watches of 1839. Some 280 watches are illustrated and described, including pocket watches of elegance and beauty, made for popes, princesses, Balkan kings and, of course, Queen Victoria. The complicated watches made for American magnates, including the legendary Graves watch, are described in detailed captions and color illustrations. There is a charming chapter on the adventures of the firm’s founder, Antoine de Patek, on a business trip to America in the 1850’s. On the technical side, chapters cover such themes as Adrien Philippe’s stem-winding system, tourbillons, carousels, chronometrical competitions and complications. Written by the authority on Patek Philippe, Alan Banbery, with Patek Philippe’s leading enthusiast, Martin Huber, it yields fresh information and renewed enjoyment at every perusal.
Patek Philippe Pocket Watches (second edition): 292 pages, 25 × 28 cm, full color and monochrome illustrations.

Timepieces for Royalty – 1850-1910

From the time of Queen Victoria’s reign until today, numerous rulers – Popes, monarchs and State leaders – have owned Patek Philippe watches or have offered such prestigious goods as gifts. Due to the quality of the products, comprising a myriad of technical and aesthetic innovations, and the firm’s presence at numerous Universal Exhibitions, the Genevan watch manufacturer, founded in 1839, acquired a reputation of excellence answering to a well-informed clientele. Produced between 1850 and World War I, the watches presented in this catalogue have a direct association with the crowned heads or descendants of royal blood of old Europe and more distant regions. These royal timepieces are today the exceptional, sometimes intimate, testimonies of the lives of their owners.
Timepieces for Royalty – 1850-1910 by Patek Philippe, 2005. 192 pages, 21 × 29,7 cm, 124 pages of text – 31 illustrations in black and white, 119 illustrations in color. Separate versions in English or French.

The Legendary Watches from Patek Philippe’s Private Watch Museum

The catalog of the exhibition showcasing “The Legendary Watches from Patek Philippe’s Private Watch Museum” contains a vast selection of timepieces presented to the public for the first time in 1989 on the occasion of Patek Philippe’s 150th anniversary. The collection was shown at the Musée de l’Horlogerie et de l’Emaillerie (Museum of Watchmaking and Enameling) in Geneva. The catalog follows the structure of the 1989 exhibition; it is an important source of information and a popular reference work on pocket watches and wristwatches. Numerous photographs, many of them close-ups, show richly decorated dials, elaborate enamel miniatures, and intricate engravings as characteristic details of the horological master pieces that were chosen and acquired for the Patek Philippe private collection.
The Legendary Watches from Patek Philippe’s Private Watch Museum, Catalog of the Musée de l’Horlogerie et de l’Emaillerie in Geneva (1989): 136 pages, 20 × 25.5 cm, color photos. Bilingual edition with text in French and English.