It's almost 11 at night, I'm tired as hell, and I'm watching a video about repairing and restoring watches I'll never be able to afford because it's just so weirdly fascinating...
I woke up the other morning and after 3 years of wearing an apple watch, suddenly said said to myself, i want a luxury watch, it might take me 4 years to save for it but i want to do it. And now i can't stop watching videos and discovering the amazing world of intricacy. Its incredible.
For some reason the same thing happened me last week for no apparent reason. I started to get really into automatic watches. I have bought a Seiko, an Orient and a Vostok watch in one week. All very cheap but great watches just to get me started. I love it!
What a nice attitude to make and servicing watches. Although I will never have the money to buy one it is just so nice to see a company employing the skills and training that I know helps inspire the world. So I just hope the Patek Philippe continues for many years to come.
The cheapest patek would be a used calatrava, you can get one for around the 5-8k mark depending on the model. Not cheap but certainly not unattainable.
@@filthyfletcher8279 put your feet into earth... Mayority of the world population can't afford this. A lot of people works for less than 10 dollars a day.
Truely amazing craftsmanship and attention to detail. Being able to remake parts to repair the older watches is impressive and some of the restorations of horrifically damaged movements miraculous. I wish I could afford one of their pieces. Beautiful things
I do not have the money to buy a Patek Philippe watch, however i am overwhelmed by the Craftsmanship in making and repairing these wonderful Watches. Such Skill, Almost Magic. Ali Scotland.
this Patek Phillipe presentation prompts great appreciation and admiration of mine that is directed towards the people who ply their trade in the areas of craftsmanship expertise that are on display in this video. I feel that the meticulous, thorough and extensive care and attention shown by these people to the watches and to their craft is a significant element of the prestige and immense quality that is synonymous with Patek Phillipe. this video was a sheer delight to view, thank you!
I agree with all that you have said but I still think the high-end watch industry is taking a piss at everybody. I myself own a couple of 5k watches and I appreciate and understand all of that and also have a watchmaker bench in which I play around from time to time with some tools and cheaper watches due to my passion for these little machines, however there is no justification for a company to charge 50K on a watch. Their markup is way too high.
High end watches have little to do with what time it is. That's just an added bonus. These things are wearable art in motion, and are amazing creations in precision, style and engineering.
Watch companies before quartz: "We make the best movements in the world! We proudly sponsor space missions and sport events which need accurate time keeping!" Watch companies after quartz: "Ahem, well.. it's not all about accuracy, you know. Accurate watches are for noobs. We make art!"
My $6.00 timex was a gift when I went to Vietnam . All these years it's taken a licking and keeps on ticking . Cleaned and serviced about every 6 - 9 years as needed .
I've had the same Timex Acqua since middle school, 20 years, exposure to saltwater still works just fine. I've never found another one exactly the same, not even a picture online. As far I know it's the only one left and it's priceless to me.
So much time has passed without one. Not sure if having one would ensure an increase in value of what is left of my time here past being able to say that I've spent a certain amount on a timepiece. Marvelous materialism but to each is own.
Dear Patek Phillipe, you undoubtedly make the finest watches in the world, a masterpiece of art that will be loved and admired by the owner for a lifetime. There, I can't be more gushing than that, and yes please feel free to send me a freebie for all the nice things I said. The cheapest model will do nicely. Thanking you in anticipation.
they make old parts for you, but you have to pay for it. they don't give out old parts for free. and for that money, you can buy brand new high quality luxury watch.
Even if your not a watch nut, we all owe the Stern family a debt of gratitude for their vision & dedication for perserving one of the great treasures of the world. They define horology at its finest, Thank you !
When in Vietnam in 1970 I bought a Patek for $700 in Bangkok. 48 years later I had it sent back to Patek in Geneva for service which took two years and cost $2100. When I complained I was told that I should consider myself lucky since many vintage Pateks are rejected for service by the company.
A good watch doesn't need service, my Seiko Arctura kinetic costed me around $500 and is more then 10 years old and still runs like the day i bought it with a 3 sec/day rate accuracy. I asked a Seiko dealer if i should service the watch and he said "in about 15 years you should change the seals for water tightness" so yeah.
Notice the rubber gloves are actually individual finger gloves to provide greater hand movement / control. They think of everything it seems. Amazing company
@@1959Berre I would go so far to say that everything said in this video applies to most, if not all, of the (luxury) mechanical watch industry. Which is of course in no way a bad thing ☺️ - setting aside that quality insurance process. That’s something special.
I think there's a charm in untouched dial, it shows the life of the watch. The watch being restored in 2:49 would have been more valuable if the original dial is kept.
Rolex never planned to be a luxury brand when they started out. They were adventurer's watches. Waterproof and rugged not to breakdown when you needed it. Now they dress up the cases and faces and straps but in reality the internals are "only" a Rolex not luxury works of art.
@@14goldmedals the Crown’s older watches, the 1016 and the 6538 were amazing instruments. For that matter, the Holy Trinity’s dress watches were that much more beautiful, too - not amazing complications but really beautiful in their simplicity. For the record, Rolex’s mid-century star dials were nice, though. The newest Calatravas are huge - bigger than the original Submariner/GMT Master from the 1950s.
My dream watch is a Patek Calatrava. Had my Rolex Submariner for years, keeps incredible time. 10 year service intervals & it hasn't needed one yet. When I can afford a Patek I won't be bothered about the 5 year service interval though
I bought my first Rolex in 1964, at a tender age of 22 ...Yes, as a student, I worked very hard and long hours to get it in August 1964. It was a basic Stainless Steel Oyster Case. It was a real PIA needed adjustment all the time. 10 years later, I offloaded it to my more affluent cousin. At the same time, I was selected to become a team member investigating the future of Mechanical Timepieces. There was no earthly way a Mechanical Timepiece could compete with a Electronic and win. We tested hundreds of systems ... the accuracy of time keeping was unmatched. So, it was clear that the future of Mechanical Time Keeping was doomed.
quite the contary, it just created and invented what we now call watch aficionados. they don't own one watch like the older generation did, they own several and acquire more as time goes by.
Lmao@jimmyf1312. Or you loose one of those tiny fukn springs or screws.. On your hands and knees for hours....shouting "EVERY BODY...DON'T FUCKING MOOOOVE!!!!!!"
@@tonygirney3516 hahaha we have a special tools for that and the floor is highly clean every day and build in such a way that you can see clearly any pice whit some special light😂
So if they recommend servicing every 5 years, that's $20 a month for the rest of your life. So you pay thousands to buy the watch, then you pay the luxury tax FOREVER.
I think if you can buy a watch for 40k, you do not care about another 5k over a 20 year period^^. And if you do, you should most likely not be buying a 40k watch. Apart from that they will run fine in most cases even without servicing.
I like watching these video and when I buy a Patek Phillipe I should send it back for factory service. I remember sending a Breguet watch to a local watch repair and my wife complained about a damaged case screw.
I was quite amazed to hear this in the video. To make a complete balance staff by hand is one of the exams that we must do at the WOSTEP school in Sweden that I'm attending. Actually we are doing it right now!
And during the lunch break, cleaning lady, first day on the job, comes and sweeps with brush all those little pieces and puts them in the garbage bin :)
I understand that Patek promotes their watchmakers for the service, but any GOOD watchmaker has the tools showed in the clip, and knows how to handle them, knows how to rebuild pivots, wheels etc...
No, any "GOOD" watchmaker doesn't have those tools. Those are tools that only expert watchmakers have. "Good" watchmakers don't have bow driven lathes because they aren't doing that kind of work. They aren't machining parts. This caliber of watchmaker is few and far between. 99% of watchmakers would not start polishing, cutting, or removing metal from the movement of a $50k-500k watch.
@@xenonram Specialized tools are what define an expert in watchmaking? Your comment is a given. Not everyone can afford a multimillion dollar business full of the best machinery money can buy. They are referring to all of the basic services that are needed for watchmaking. They didn’t mention that exact proprietary machinery.
One thing that amazes me is they're able to make uber-precise parts with ancient tools. I know some of those tools are probably 60-80 years old. Look at their parts cabinets. Those have to be almost a century old. The top of the drawer is polished because everyone is constantly opening/closing it. I wonder how many times a Swiss watch cabinet has to be repaired because it's so old...
Research "the origin of precision" Fascinating topic that coincides with makinds population explosion. Coincides with a time known as the industrial revolution. It enabled it. Aside from that humans have been making time keeping devices for at least 700 years. More than likely much longer.
If it needs maintenance that often that makes me think it’s either poorly made or they rip their customers off. I got mechanical watches that are 40-50 years old and still get about 5 seconds a day accuracy without being opened once in its life.
When it comes to cheaper watches I'm against taking it to an authorized service shop because it costs almost as much as the watch is worth to fix it BUT when it comes to great time pieces like Patek Philipe or other high-end pieces you better take it to them to be fixed. There are very few people that know how to fix complex time pieces and if they can, they probably already work for the company, lol.
Customer is not just human being but just like God & this thought is very important so all the best wishes I would like to give you all ❤️❤️ team members tu
I agree that form should always follow function....but PP watches are not just about aesthetics; they are exquisite pieces of engineering. My everyday car is a Land Rover Defender; the epitome of function over form......but I also have a Porsche Boxster; nowhere near as practical but beautifully engineered and brilliant at what it does......They both have their place and so do high end watches......and G shocks.
Nice work, people! I have always been crazy about precision, ever since I started working for IBM! I can tell you that the 10 nM CPU in my phone makes the best mechanical watches look like a Rube Goldberg mouse-trap. 0.01 micron is splitting hairs to the molecules!
Very nice watches, I have had the pleasure/displeasure of having to make parts for several of them now. Since the price for repair out of north america is astronomical even considering the price of the watch.
It's an insane and pathetic waste of time and energy: gross narcissism. Any reasonable movement properly cared for and maintained could last multiple generations - even my venerable old Timex bought in 1969.
Timex never needs maintenance. I found a Timex classic mechanical from late 1960s-early 1970s in an old box, wound it up, and it still keeps perfect time.
if you have a million dollar watch, spending a few bucks to keep it in flawless condition is common sense and protects an continually appreciating asset. an orient isnt worth servicing, its a disposable chinese junk watch.
Almost all mechanical watches will work for many years longer than 5 without issue (maybe 15? who knows) but just like not changing the oil in your car, it may run but not well and may fail more catastrophically.
Makes Rolex look inferior, people will say Patek watches can’t take knocks as they are a dress watch whereas Rolex can. This may well be true, but you wear a watch to suit the occasion, Rolex is good for any occasion, but you would know not to wear a Patek when deep sea diving or bricklaying, that is common sense ! To me, Rolex tend to look the same, when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, whereas Patek just look so elegant and amazing! Anyone who disagrees, sorry that’s just my opinion
So, for the price of one service of this type watch it looks like you can buy several quartz movement (just as accurate) watches that are just as accurate and throw them away when they stop working. Don't see the point in spending that much one of these watches - unless you just gotta show off :) Of course, a watch is just a tool to me - I don't wear jewelry.
Antoni Norbert Patek, coat of arms Prawdzic (born on June 14, 1812 in Piaski Szlacheckie [1], died on March 1, 1877 in Geneva) - a pioneer of industrial watch production, founder of Patek Philippe & Co. - the first company in the history of mass-producing pocket watches and one of the most exclusive watches in the world, a political activist of Great Emigration. From poland
