The Patek Philippe Art of Watches Grand Exhibition was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the world of Patek Philippe and the history of fine timekeeping in a very hands-on way outside of Switzerland. And it continues to be a source of inspiration for the watch world even after it has closed.
GaryG did an excellent job of summing up the extensive exposition in You Are There: Patek Philippe (And Virtually Everyone Else) Comes To New York, A Collector’s View, for which reason I choose to cherry pick some of the best things I saw there. Here are five American-themed timepieces decorated with rare handcrafts that I thought stood out.
Patek Philippe created especially for this exhibition more than 20 unique timepieces embellished with rare handcrafts including, enamel, engraving, and/or gemstones. Four of these pieces are wristwatches while the others are pocket watches and Patek Philippe’s traditional dome clocks.
American Indian Pocket Watch
Reference 995/107G is a gorgeous white gold timepiece inlaid with one of my personal favorite stones: turquoise. A blue-green mineral significantly mined in the southwest United States, it is often used in Native American jewelry and art. Its use here was absolutely perfect in my opinion.
Unique Patek Philippe rare handcrafts pocket watch depicting a Native American with wood marquetry and inlaid turquoise
The front of the watch with its simple white enamel dial reveals only a hint of the turquoise accents that are much more prominent on the back and on the unique exhibition stand that comes with the watch.
The back also houses the real work of art here: a Native American portrait created in painstaking wood marquetry.
While I’m not entirely sure this piece is really aimed at a North American buyer, it will certainly make some collector who favors exotic materials in watchmaking and rare handcrafts very, very happy.
Quick Facts American Indian Pocket Watch
Case: 44.1 mm, white gold, hand-engraved, inlaid with turquoise, wood marquetry on back
Dial: white enamel
Movement: manually wound Patek Philippe Caliber 17’’’, 38.65 x 3.8 mm, LEP PS, 18 jewels, 42-hour power reserve, 2.5 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
Limitation: one unique piece
Napa Valley Pocket Watch
The two sides of this yellow gold pocket watch seem so disparate that one may think they belong to two different timepieces: a beautiful red flinqué dial illuminates the front of Reference 992/116J in a warm glow, while the back displays one of the world’s best wine regions: Napa Valley in California.
The dial side of the Napa Valley unique piece pocket watch Patek Philippe created for the 2017 Art of Watches Grand Exhibition in New York
Framed by yellow gold grapes on the vine, Napa Valley is presented here in all its enchanting enamel glory; the enameler needed a palette of 12 colors to complete it. The wealth of detail in the miniature scene is astounding, including a fine mist hanging over the vineyards.
Beautifully detailed miniature landscape enamel painting on the back of the unique piece pocket watch Patek Philippe created for its Art of Watches Grand Exhibition in New York
The yellow gold engraving, completed after the enamel artist was done, necessitated 78 hours’ worth of work.
Quick Facts Napa Valley Pocket Watch
Case: 44.1 mm, yellow gold, bow with engraving, ruby cabochon in crown
Dial: red flinqué (enamel over guilloche) over yellow gold
Movement: manually wound Patek Philippe Caliber 17’’’, 38.65 x 3.8 mm, LEP PS, 18 jewels, 42-hour power reserve, 2.5 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
Limitation: one unique piece
Mount Rushmore Pocket Watch
Mount Rushmore has always been a source of awe for me with its 18-meter-high colossal, sculpted depictions of four U.S. presidents chiseled into the granite side of a South Dakota rock mass: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
Mount Rushmore engraved on the back of the unique piece Patek Philippe created for the Art of Watches Grand Exhibition in New York
This pocket watch with its engraved white gold dial-side depiction of the U.S. national monument and sky-colored enamel is an exquisite representation of this symbol of the country’s vast enormity.
Quick Facts Mount Rushmore Pocket Watch
Case: 44.1 mm, white gold, bow with engraving
Dial: engraved white gold and enamel
Movement: manually wound Patek Philippe Caliber 17’’’, 38.65 x 3.8 mm, LEP PS, 18 jewels, 42-hour power reserve, 2.5 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
Limitation: one unique piece
Manhattan-Brooklyn Pocket Watch
Premier Swiss enameler Anita Porchet created three pocket watches with extensive enamel artwork especially for the exhibition: the World Time Minute Repeater Reference 5531 New York Special Edition, the Wild Horses pocket watch, and this particular masterpiece, which was given an display entire wall at the Grand Exhibition for itself.
Manhattan as seen from Brooklyn artwork on the back of the unique piece Anita Porchet painted for Patek Philippe’s 2017 Art of Watches Grand Exhibition in New York
All three of these timepieces display her dexterity in the art of cloisonné enamel, though I find the Manhattan-Brooklyn pocket watch depicting the two New York boroughs on either side of the East River (one on each side of the watch with a reflection of the opposite one’s skyline below each) most vibrant and enchanting with its palette of more than 40 enamels.
The unique piece Manhattan-Brooklyn pocket watch nestled in at the Patek Philippe Art of Watches Grand Exhibition: the walls surrounding this artistic timepiece were decorated with artwork from the watch
Porchet required more than two meters’ worth of gold wire to complete the colorful composition.
Quick Facts Manhattan-Brooklyn Pocket Watch
Case: 44.1 mm, white gold with cloisonné enamel
Dial: cloisonné enamel
Movement: manually wound Patek Philippe Caliber 17’’’, 38.65 x 3.8 mm, LEP PS, 18 jewels, 42-hour power reserve, 2.5 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: one unique piece
George Washington Pocket Watch
As a bonus, I found something I considered quite inspiring in the U.S. Historic Room that, despite being 167 years old, fits perfectly into this roundup of modern Patek Philippe rare handcraft watches with American themes. This open-faced pocket watch was created for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 as an homage to the first president of the United States and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
George Washington’s portrait on the back of this unique piece pocket watch by Patek Philippe from 1850 as shown at the 2017 Art of Watches Grand Exhibition in New York
The watch, which is exquisitely decorated with scrolling ramolayé-style engraving and a grisaille enamel portrait of the nation’s founding father, was sent to the United States in 1876 for the centennial celebration held in Philadelphia. It was created by Patek Philippe in 1850.
Quick Facts George Washington Pocket Watch
Case: 62.3 x 44.8 x 11.3 mm, yellow gold with engraving and grisaille enamel
Dial: enamel, painted Roman numerals
Movement: manually wound Patek Philippe Caliber 18’’’, gilt, straight-line lever escapement, balance with gold timing screws
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
For more information, please visit www.patek.com/en/communication/news/the-art-of-watches-grand-exhibition-new-york-2017.
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You Are There: Patek Philippe (And Virtually Everyone Else) Comes To New York, A Collector’s View
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