Our Commitment to Service
The Art of Restoration
Maintaining watches over 35 years old requires specialized skills and techniques safeguarded and transmitted exclusively by Patek Philippe’s Geneva-based restoration workshop.
The Patek Philippe Seal
Our Commitment
In accordance with the extremely demanding criteria of the Patek Philippe Seal, we are committed to maintaining and repairing all watches produced by our Manufacture since 1839, while being keen to preserve the original components.
Heritage
Spare Parts Archive
The aim of our restoration atelier is to preserve the original condition of the watch, both technically and aesthetically, by retaining the original components of its movement or case wherever possible. To do so, our watchmaker-restorers maintain a stock of original components, cases, machines and production tools, some of them dating back to 1839.
Discover the art of restoration at Patek Philippe
The Art of Restoration
Pivoting
If some parts needed to restore an antique watch are unavailable, our watchmakers-restorers will recreate them by hand. For example, our skilled pivot maker can manually rebuild all the axes and wheels of a watch using these original tools, ensuring precise restoration through expert craftsmanship.
The Pivot Maker's Tools
The Pivoting Lathe
In the production of pivots, the lathe is operated manually—one hand controls the bow while the other uses a burnisher. Throughout the process, the pivoter meticulously monitors progress with a binocular microscope, ensuring precision down to the micron.
The Pivot Maker's Tool
The Rounding Machine
A watch consists of numerous gears (wheels and sprockets) that must be precisely adjusted to ensure accurate operation. The rounding machine plays a crucial role by refining the profile of these components, enabling them to achieve optimal gearing and maintain the watch's precision.
The Pivot Maker's tools
The Gear Compass
This compass precisely measures the distance between a wheel and its adjacent pinion. When installing the wheel board, the wheel is often removed from the rounding machine and placed on the compass to check its meshing with the pinion. Correct meshing confirms the wheel's size accuracy. Mastery of this tool is essential for crafting antique wheels and sprockets.
The Pivot Maker's Tools
The Chuck Lathe
This tool enhances the precision of positioning wheels, pinions, and escapements within the movement. These components must be placed at exact three-dimensional distances for proper function. A simple yet crucial tool, known as an "oscillation stick," is used to ensure optimal alignment among these elements, guaranteeing the watch’s accuracy.
