Patek Philippe Museum
Reflecting the tradition of excellence of the Genevan watchmaking community, the Patek Philippe Museum presents about two thousand exceptional timepieces, automata, miniature portraits on enamel, and rare exhibits which trace a fantastic journey through five hundred years of European horology; at the same time, they showcase the 160-year heritage of a watchmaker which connoisseurs agree is the finest in the world. The collection consists of two complementary departments. One is dedicated to rare timepieces of European and mostly of Genevan provenance, the other is devoted exclusively to Patek Philippe watches, spanning the workshops’ history from its beginnings to the present day. An exceptional museum called for an exceptional building. Number 7 on the « rue des Vieux-Grenadiers »
The objective was to renovate and enlarge this building, respecting the old walls and their history, while at the same time creating a contemporary expression. Under the supervision of Gerdi Stern, the wife of the president of Patek Philippe, the challenge was significant : to refurbish, remodel, redecorate and provide appropriate lighting to four floors of 7,560 square feet each (700 sqm), in an original yet coherent manner. The MuseumThe visit begins on the ground floor and continues on to the third, the second, and finally the first floor. 1. Ground floor: reception, collection of antique tools, watch restoration workshop and auditorium 2. Third floor: library, Patek Philippe archives 3. Second floor: the antique collection, from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries 4. First floor: the Patek Philippe collection from 1839 to the present day THE COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE TOOLSVisitors to the PateK PHILIPPE MUSEUM are greeted on the ground floor, where the workshops of the past have been recreated, just as they were used by the watchmakers, jewelers, engravers and enamellers, with a collection of over 400 tools from the period between the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. A watchmaker specialized in the restoration of antique watches will work in the visitor’s presence, in a glassed-in cabinet recalling those of the original Genevan cabinetries. LIBRARY AND PATEK PHILIPPE ARCHIVESThe third floor is where the Museum’s documentary section is located. Visitors will discover eight presentation cases of Patek Philippe archives, a horological library containing over 4000 works, and a faithful re-creation of the office of Mr Henri Stern, father of the firm’s President. THE ANTIQUE COLLECTION FROM THE SIXTEENTH TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURYThe second floor of the PATEK PHILIPPE MUSEUM invites the visitor to discover the first three centuries of the horological art, through five hundred of the most important pieces from Geneva’s and Europe’s heritage, together with a splendid collection of miniature portraits on enamel, created by the great Geneva masters. Audiovisual multilingual presentations of selected masterpieces animate the exhibit. THE PATEK PHILIPPE COLLECTION FROM 1839 TO THE PRESENT DAYWatches had existed for almost three centuries and a half when the Polish Count Antoine Norbert de Patek founded the future watchmaking firm of Patek Philippe with his fellow countryman, François Czapek, in Geneva in 1839. In just a few years, with the arrival of a new partner, the talented French horologist, Adrien Philippe, in 1845, the Geneva firm acquired a reputation for excellence. Through 163 years of uninterrupted production it has built on that reputation, which continues to flourish. The PATEK PHILIPPE MUSEUM retraces the history of the most creative watchmaking firm of our times, a history filled with technical and aesthetic innovations and illustrated by over 1000 exceptional timepieces. The Patek Philippe Museum is a new highlight on the cultural agenda of the city of Geneva and a tribute to the city’s watchmaking heritage. PATEK PHILIPPE MUSEUM Opening Hours Parking: Plainpalais Entrance fee Helpful resources:GENEVA TOURISM Edited by Madelyn Miller |
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Now is the time to see the most prestigious and comprehensive collection of timepieces ever compiled. 
Located in Geneva’s Plainpalais district, the