Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2026

The “Rare Handcrafts 2026” collection (a total of 65 pieces, comprising 23 dome table clocks, 10 pocket watches and 32 Calatrava and Golden Ellipse wristwatches) once again calls into play a vast range of outstanding skills, including Grand Feu cloisonné enamel, miniature painting on enamel, grisaille enamel sur blanc de Limoges, grisaille enamel, flinqué enamel, paillonné enamel, Fauré enamel, hand engraving, hand-executed guilloché work and gemsetting, all raised to new heights of excellence. Patek Philippe also showcases several techniques that are innovating and more recent in horology, such as Longwy enamel on faience or wood micromarquetry. And not forgetting the growing number of what are known as “mixed techniques” pieces, uniting, for example, cloisonné enamel and paillonné enamel, miniature painting on enamel and hand engraving, or enameling and wood micromarquetry.

Regarding themes, the “Rare Handcrafts 2026” collection is once again extraordinarily rich in creativity, with a broad palette of subjects embracing the cultures and landscapes of every continent. These 65 timepieces with their ever-more original and astonishing decorations are presented to great effect in an elegant, specially devised decor divided into three areas and covering 200 sqm.

The salon overlooking the lake brings together pieces celebrating the beauties of nature – flora, fauna, landscapes (volcanoes, seabed, world map, rainforest, botanical gardens) – in very refined decorations.

Three creations illustrating wood micromarquetry embody animals. The Golden Ellipse wristwatch Ref. 5738/50G-047 (Northern pintail) with a dial in wood marquetry depicting a duck illustrates the meticulous work of the craftsman who captured with extreme precision the bird’s plumage, keen glance and gracefulness. This feat required the assembly of 161 veneer parts and 25 tiny inlays of 45 species of wood. The pocket watch Ref. 995/141G-001 (Great white shark) introduces a new approach in mixed techniques. The marquetry-maker assembled 18 different wood species to reproduce the ocean predator, who was integrated into the enamel background with 16 colors including 7 of miniature paint. The pocket watch Ref. 995/150G-001 (Puma) depicts a puma poised to spring. To reproduce this big cat, the marquetry-maker assembled a total of 276 tiny veneer parts and 80 even smaller inlays, representing 35 species of wood in different colors, textures and veining.

The gemsetting technique is brilliantly illustrated by the Calatrava wristwatch Ref. 5077/211R-001 (Green-winged macaw) portraying a parrot of South America delicately enameled on the dial. The wristwatch Ref. 5077/357G-001 (Blue butterfly) gives life to an encounter between the blooms of a blue poppy and a monarch butterfly, the tiniest details of which are captured in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel. Both references are illuminated by a magnificent setting of multiple precious stones, echoing in a gradient the rich colors of the enamel dials.

A tribute to hand engraving is shown in the Calatrava minute repeater and World Time wristwatch Ref. 5531G-001 (Planisphere), featuring a marvelous dial depicting a world map. The engraver shaped the ocean depths by hand, before coating them with translucent blue enamel, using the traditional technique of champlevé enameling.

The salon facing the rue du Rhône honors cultural events that have marked Scotland, China, Mexico or Spain, notably with the “Flamenco” pocket watch mentioned above. Hand-engraving is on the forefront with the Calatrava wristwatch Ref. 5177J-001 (Matador) reproducing the sumptuous gold and black embroidery that illuminates the matador’s “traje de luces” or suit of lights. The artisan embellished the dial with intricate engraving creating effects of soft textures and luminous sheen.

Three wristwatches then showcase the beauty of guilloché work. The Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738/50J-012 (On the rock) with a dial in cloisonné enamel and a hand-engraved sapphire crystal pays tribute to Scotch whisky. The artisan created the illusion of a filled tumbler with a pattern of horizontal waves and the subtle amber tints of the alcohol. Another Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738/50R-022 (Beige tartan) with a dial in cloisonné and flinqué enamel takes inspiration from tartan, the woolen cloth particular to the Celtic people. Its dial is finely hand-guilloched with 2 motifs oriented in 4 different directions. The Calatrava Ref. 5177R-001 (La Catrina) in rose gold, inspired by Mexico’s Day of the Dead Festival, features a dial in cloisonné and flinqué enamel and a bezel adorned with the famous Clous de Paris or hobnail pattern.

China is on the forefront with three Golden Ellipse wristwatches whose dials feature exquisite miniature painting on enamel and hand engraving. The references 5738/50J-014 (Chinese festival), 5738/50J-015 (Festivities by the river) and 5738/50J-016 (Boats in the port) reproduce three sections of a famous Chinese painting depicting a festival by a river. The tiny decorations are hand-engraved with a pattern of wavelets, then adorned with 8 colors of miniature painting on enamel to reproduce with infinite precision the different scenes extracted from the painting.

Spain is also featured in this exhibition with two sumptuous dome table clocks illustrating the various enameling techniques, particularly Grand Feu cloisonné enamel and miniature painting on enamel. The Ref. 20196M-001 (Andalusia) draws inspiration from the Moorish architecture of the cities of Seville, Cadiz and Granada. The prowess of the enameller lies in these tiny pictures of extreme finesse portraying the cities in 20 colors of miniature painting on enamel. Ref. 20199M-001 (The house of the dragon) celebrates the most emblematic of Gaudi’s buildings in Barcelona, whose roof of tiles resembling scales symbolizes a dragon. To do justice to the originality of this architecture, the enameller used more than 16 meters of golden wire, 154 shades of enamel, as well as 17 colors of miniature painting on enamel. The dome table clock Ref. 20204M-001 (Stellisee) takes us back to the region of Zermatt, depicting a beautiful landscape of a mountain lake. The enameller captured the rich nuances and gradations of the body of water, the fauna and the iconic Matterhorn in this unique work of art with a palette of 30 enamel colors.

Two Calatrava wristwatches with dials in champlevé enamel and hand-engraving further illustrate with great panache various Rare Handcrafts techniques. Their dials are engraved with the words “Patek Philippe Genève” using a stylized typography – Ref. 5077/100R-068 (Pink typography) in rose gold set with 141 diamonds, and Ref. 5177G-056 (Blue typography) in white gold and a bezel adorned with the famous Clous de Paris motif. The pocket watch Ref. 995/153J-001 (Targe) draws inspiration from the targe, a medieval shield that became a symbol of the Scottish Highlanders. The back is hand-engraved with a pattern to create the illusion of leather, then enameled with an exceptional mastery of gradations. A remarkable total of 680 gold spangles or paillons are inserted in paillonné enameling to create the effect of brass studs.

The exhibition at the Patek Philippe Salons also enables the public to see artisans at work, applying some of their techniques (hand engraving, enameling, marquetry, hand-executed guilloché). Video films and a choice of tools related to several of the Rare Handcrafts will also illustrate these precious skills.