Patek Philippe Shapes Watchmaking by Invoking Curiosity

It isn’t the first time that Patek Philippe has created a watch that stirred controversy or introduced jaw-dropping designs. The mid-20th century, post-war era was when modern design principles emerged, with emphasis on linear geometries and soft curves. It was during this time that a young 25-year-old jewellery designer and sculptor, Gilbert Albert, joined Patek Philippe. Under the guidance of Henri Stern, who was also a brilliant artist, Albert became the head of case and dial design.

Mr. Albert’s designs for Patek Philippe highlight the expressive style that ladies’ timepieces have always embraced. That continues today in the Gondolo, where references such as 7041R-001, 7042/100R-010, and 7042/100G-010 offer a modern take on the cushion case. Its oversized lugs are the Ref. 2279’s in reverse, and the case’s extensions covering the lug bar evoke the ears of the Nautilus case or the stepped outer links of the Twenty~4’s bracelet. By using the same refined details in different ways across its collections, it allows Patek Philippe to explore creativity within evolving boundaries of its design language.

Patek Philippe continued experimenting with the rounded cushion case of the Golden Ellipse, introducing various proportions and finishes with bracelet designs. It was also in this era that the watchmaker began creating Calatrava watches with textured or engraved bezels and cases. The Ref. 3569 featured hammered cases and dials, or engraved patterns that would eventually translate into the Refs. 3919 and 6119G’s hobnail guilloché. They also contemporised designs such as Ref. 1536, softening the edges to create Ref. 4222, a square Calatrava watch with enclosed lugs in the same year as another icon was introduced: the Ref. 3700 Nautilus.

It’s hard to say if Mr. Gérald Genta’s quickly sketched design of the Ref. 3700 was inspired by those examples, or if the reverse occurred. However, the steel luxury sportswatch with the pricing of an automobile brought forward the next era of luxury watchmaking. Valued as a rare commodity in its own right, the material a Patek Philippe watch was clad in became secondary to its design and brand. The oversized watch confronted all the traditional, conservative designs of the industry with statement-making visibility.

This naturally brings us to the most recent releases of shaped watches by Patek Philippe – Cubitus. The collection’s design offers a seamless meld between the angled square case and tapered bracelet, with the industrial ruggedness of a sports watch. The Refs. 7128/1R-001 and 7128/1G-001 have been designed both as a piece of jewellery as well as a structured wristwatch by Thierry Stern and his team. In fact, two other collections released at the end of the 20th century share this same duality as well.

Shaped timepieces are challenging because Patek Philippe’s movements are designed to fit their cases. This is especially true for the highest complications, and one watch that iconised this complementary integration was the Patek Philippe Ref. 5101 Gondolo with Tourbillon and 10-Day Power Reserve, which was last released over a decade ago. The watch was a successor to the Ref. 1593 Hour Glass, with its curved, stepped case and crystal, and its movement, which had a chronometric performance of just a second a day even towards the end of its power reserve, was spectacularly finished. The Ref. 5101 maintained a long tradition of pocket watch tourbillons, which kept the rotating regulator on the back of the movement, discreetly hidden.