Patek Philippe & Co. (PP) is a Swiss watch manufacturer located in Geneva and the Valee de Joux. PP is currently owned by the Stern family and is led by Philippe Stern and his son. PP is notable as being a manufacturer, in other words for manufacturing its own watch components. As there are relatively few manufacturers, being a manufacturer confers a special status on PP within Swiss watchmaking. Amongst manufacturers, PP has a long history.
Antoni Patek started making pocket watches in 1839 in Geneva, along with his fellow Polish migrant Franciszek Czapek. They separated in 1844, and in 1845 Patek joined with the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, inventor of the keyless winding mechanism. In 1851, Patek Philippe & Co was founded. In 1868, Patek Philippe made their first wristwatch. They have also pioneered the perpetual calendar, split-seconds hand, chronograph, and minute repeater in watches. The company, like other Swiss manufactures, produces mostly mechanical movements of the automatic and manual wind variety, but has produced quartz watches in the past and even a digital wrist watch.
