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P ATEK P HILIPPE THE MYST I QUE OF U Unlike the art market where aesthetics, taste, and provenance are the main value factors, a watch has something else to prove. In addition to qualifying as an object of beauty, it must be an impressive work of micro-mechanical engineering, adjusted for high precision, and built for longevity. In the watch world, Patek Philippe embodies that definition and then some. The company has adhered to a standard of excellence in mechanical watchmaking that has endured, even through the era of all-quartz production in the 1980s and ’90s when most heritage watch brands, in order to survive, catered to the mass market. Patek Philippe is family owned and, therefore, not subject to the marketing-driven, quick-profit schemes of shareholder boards. Above all, it is one of only a handful of watch brands in the world that can truly be defined as an investment, having proven continuously to be the most sought-after watch in the world on the secondary market.
The legendary Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in stainless steel. One of only four ever made in this series in steel. This one sold at a Phillips auction for $11 million.
W H A T M A K E S O N E O F T H E W O R L D ’ S G R E A T E S T W A T C H E S G R E A T ?
14 ] B R O W N & C O . J E W E L E R S M A G A Z I N E
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