Four charms of Patek Philippe! The strengths of the long-established watch brand discussed at a talk show at the HF-AGE Sendai store

On June 8th, the HF-AGE Sendai store reopened its only Patek Philippe section in the Tohoku region. This article brings you a look at a special Patek Philippe talk show that was held prior to the opening. The speakers were Yutaka Fukuda, also known as Rock Fukuda, a popular YouTuber, and Masamasa Hirota, editor-in-chief of Kronos Japan. The theme of the talk was "The Four Charms of Patek Philippe."

Tohoku's only Patek Philippe corner has been renovated

　The HF-AGE Sendai store reopened its newly renovated Patek Philippe corner on June 8th. The only Patek Philippe corner in the Tohoku region is housed in a spacious 90m6 space, and the store's renovation has attracted attention from across the watch industry.

　As it was such a "major event," an opening ceremony was held on June 7th, the day before the reopening. In addition, a special talk show titled "What is the appeal of Patek Philippe?" was held in the evening of the same day.

　This time, we will be bringing you a digest of the second half of the event, which was full of highlights, featuring a talk show between writer/editor Yutaka Fukuda, also known as "Rock Fukuda," who made a big break with Watch Spirit, and Masamasa Hirota, editor-in-chief of Chronos Japan.

What are the four attractions of Patek Philippe?

　Fukuda and Hirota's talk show used a slideshow to unravel the four charms of Patek Philippe. The first charm they mentioned was that it is a family business.

1. The appeal of being a "family business"

Masamasa Hirota (hereinafter, Hirota):There are many things that make Patek Philippe so appealing, but I think there are four main elements to it. The first is that it is a family business.

　Patek Philippe was originally founded by Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek in 1839, but the Stern family acquired management rights in 1932. Since then, the Stern family has consistently run the company. There are fewer family businesses in the luxury world these days, aren't there?

Yutaka Fukuda (hereinafter referred to as Fukuda):That's right. In the watch industry, there is only one brand whose founding family still remains. Even in the fashion industry, there aren't many family businesses left.

Hirota:What makes a family business so good is that brands often use the word "maison." Maison is French for "house." In other words, only brands that have been run by the same family for a long time can be called maisons. The sound of the word maison is special in the luxury business.

　And because it remains a family-run business, it is less susceptible to the influence of shareholders. This means that the core of watchmaking remains consistent. Fukuda-san, when you look at Patek Philippe, is there anything about it that makes you feel like it's a family business?

Fukuda:When the Stern brothers became owners in 1932, one of the first things they did was to resume development of their own movements.

　Another thing that impressed me was that they decided to stop producing standard models and only make high-quality models from now on, and have continued to do so to this day. This "to this day" is amazing. Because there is no outside blood involved, the founder's teachings have been passed down from father to son.

Hirota:That's right.

Fukuda:When I think of the Patek Philippe brand, I always think of their promise to "repair their products for life." Those of us who work in the watch industry know this, but in fact, there are actually quite a few other brands besides Patek Philippe that offer "lifetime repairs."

Hirota:Hum.

Fukuda:But no one else bothers to say it. So I've always wondered why other brands don't say it, but Patek Philippe does. It occurred to me that it's possible because it's a family business.

　If a manufacturer belonging to a certain group says, "We offer lifetime repairs," it will cause inconvenience to other brands in that group, who will wonder, "Why does this brand offer repairs but ours doesn't?"

　Another thing I thought about was that saying "We'll repair your watch for life" is a promise for the distant future. However, watch manufacturers these days have CEOs who change frequently, and some of them are not watch experts. In that kind of system, it's impossible to make "promises for the future." So being able to declare "We'll repair your watch for life" is a much bigger deal than we think.

2. The appeal of "useful complications"

　Along with being a family-run business, Hirota also recommends that another attractive feature of Patek Philippe is that it produces many "usable complications." He explains the reason for this with Fukuda.

Hirota:Patek Philippe is one of the world's top watchmakers, and their luxury watches are certainly expensive and well-made. However, as a watch enthusiast, I personally find Patek Philippe watches to be incredibly useful.

Fukuda:Practicality is very important.

Hirota:That's right. The Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524 is a great example. When you press the button on the side of the case, the hour hand moves independently. There are small windows for local time and home time, so you can tell whether it's morning or afternoon. This makes it very easy to use.

　Patek Philippe has also developed an annual calendar, a mechanism that requires no calendar adjustment except at the end of February. It is less complicated than a perpetual calendar (which does not require date adjustment) and is less expensive to manufacture. However, it is almost as easy to use and is actually more convenient.

Fukuda:It's a pain when a perpetual calendar stops.

Hirota:In this respect, the annual calendar is simpler and easier to use. When it comes to Patek Philippe, the annual calendar is a big presence.

　Another useful complication I'd like to introduce is the Alarm Travel Time 5520. This has the same functions as the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524, but also includes an alarm function.

　It's true that there are many clocks out there that make an alarm sound to tell the time, but this clock has a digital display in a small window at 12 o'clock that lets you set the alarm time in 15-minute increments or on a 24-hour scale, and the sound is just beautiful.

　Patek Philippe's top-of-the-line minute repeater is almost identical to that in terms of how it produces sound.

Fukuda:Patek Philippe's attention to detail in sound is incredible. When it comes to quiet yet loud watches, the only ones that come to mind are Patek Philippe repeaters.

Hirota:This is really easy to use and durable. What's more, the sound is just as good as a repeater.

Fukuda:I wonder if the quality of the case has something to do with the sound. It's like making an instrument.

Hirota:That's right. In the case of Patek Philippe, the construction of the case is extremely important. The sound reverberates inside, which is why the sound is so good, and that's why watch enthusiasts say that Patek Philippe watches are the best.

　Many other anecdotes were also revealed that prove Patek Philippe is a "useful watch," including the ease of use of the Louis Cottier world timer and the fact that it was the first in the world to introduce a silicon balance spring.

3. The appeal of an "extraordinary exterior finish"

　The third point is the "extraordinary exterior." Both Hirota and Fukuda cited the "Calatrava Travel Time 5224" as a particularly good example.

Fukuda:This index alone uses 44 parts.

Hirota:That's right. To secure the 44 parts, holes are drilled one by one into the dial and they are glued in place. It would be fine to just print them with ink, but that would make them less legible, so they decided to typeset them instead. This is truly amazing, isn't it?

Fukuda:No matter how closely you look, there's no sign of sloppy work.

Hirota:Also, can I tell you how to spot a good exterior that anyone can understand? You can see it if you watch a Patek Philippe video. In Patek Philippe videos, after the model is introduced, it fades out at the end and ends with the bezel or other parts shining brightly.

　That Patek Philippe video really focuses on the key points that they want you to see, for example, the Calatrava Travel Time 5224 is a watch with a beautifully polished case.

Fukuda:Hum.

Hirota:So where the highlights are on the bezel, there's a sharp boundary line between them and the shadows. If the bezel surface were distorted, the line would end up looking all mushy. This may seem obvious, but having a sharp line is what makes for a good exterior.

Fukuda:Is that so? Yes, that's true.

　In addition, Fukuda also shared his own unique views on the exterior.

Fukuda:I always say that a good watch has good hands. I used to write fashion articles, and someone once told me, "Fukuda, good clothes have good buttons," and I've thought the same thing about watches ever since.

　So, when you look at a Patek Philippe watch, the first thing you notice is that there is very little clearance between the dial and the hands. In addition, the hands are really three-dimensional and beautiful. Hands cannot be made heavy no matter what. So they shouldn't be able to be made so three-dimensional, but Patek Philippe watches are three-dimensional. The hands are the parts that always catch your eye, aren't they? So it's wonderful that they are made so well.

Hirota:That's right. Speaking of the hands, there are no burrs on the sides at all. Otakus look at the watch from the side and are delighted, saying, "There are no burrs!" (laughs).

4. The appeal of "impressive rare items"

　The final point is "extraordinary rare items." When it comes to the high-end lines of Patek Philippe, the craftsmanship of the watches really stands out. The two men explained this point.

Hirota:Of course, Patek Philippe's basic models are great, but the more elaborate ones are even more impressive.

Fukuda:When I get serious, I'm like, what should I do? (laughs)

Hirota:For example, the "Split-Seconds Chronograph 5370P." This model features a split-seconds function on top of an in-house chronograph movement. It's amazing. It's the pinnacle of split chronographs.

Fukuda:The feeling of it snapping when the needle goes back is just amazing.

Hirota:That's right. That's why Patek Philippe watches have such a wonderful feel when you touch them. They look great, but when it comes to watches of this class, the feel of each one is exceptionally excellent.

　The other is the "Split-Seconds Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar 5204," which also features a split-seconds chronograph and a perpetual calendar.

Fukuda:The perpetual calendar was a specialty of Patek Philippe even before the Stern family took over the company. The Stern family inherited it and incorporated it into their watches, along with the split-seconds chronograph. This combination has been a tradition for about 30 years.

Hirota:That's right. So, when you think of Patek Philippe's finest products, the minute repeater comes first, but this is also the pinnacle of complicated mechanism watches. They really do make such complicated watches, don't they? Another charm of Patek Philippe is that they can make watches like this. They have a really nice feel.

　Hirota also says that he feels that the design of these split-second models is characteristic of Patek Philippe.

Hirota:A side note: There are many rules to follow when designing a watch. One of them is not to interfere with the balance wheel, which is the heart of the watch.

　However, because a split-seconds mechanism moves two chronograph hands, it naturally requires two column wheels to control the movement of the hands. This means that there is inevitably not enough space in the movement. Therefore, many manufacturers want to fill (i.e., use) the space around the balance wheel as well.

　But Patek Philippe never burys this gap. I think that's great. So when I think about what makes Patek Philippe unique, I think it's that they do new and interesting things, but they never compromise on the fundamentals.

Patek Philippe is a watch that can be chosen by both positive and negative points.

　The Patek Philippe talk show lasted approximately 40 minutes, discussing the appeal of one of the most luxurious watches in the watch industry, and ended with the following words from Hirota:

Hirota:One last thing: I think there are two criteria for choosing what you like, not just in watches but in hobbies in general. Basically, for otaku like us, even if the product that is the subject of our hobby is completely terrible, if it has even one good point, we get excited and say "Wow!" In other words, we choose what we like based on the points-adding method.

　However, when it comes to products that we use every day, like watches, I think many people will use the process of elimination to identify their weaknesses and choose the one with the fewest drawbacks. In other words, there are watches that are chosen by the positive point method and watches that are chosen by the negative point method.

　So what about Patek Philippe? Whether you choose by adding points or by elimination, it remains an option. There are no gaps. There are very few watch brands like that.

　Patek Philippe is a watch that is consistently chosen not only by the plus-point method, a method used by watch enthusiasts to select exceptional products, but also by the strict but honest minus-point method. I learned about this rarity at the talk show, and was able to experience it firsthand with the many actual watches in front of me.

　The fact that Patek Philippe has set up a 90m² sales floor in Sendai, also known as the "Gateway to Tohoku," is a very important topic for watch enthusiasts in the Tohoku region. Many people who live in Tohoku have likely traveled to the Kanto region to see the watch they were looking for.

　The Patek Philippe corner at the HF-AGE Sendai store is one of the leading sales areas for the brand in Japan, so we would like to encourage not only those living in the Tohoku region, but also watch enthusiasts from all over Japan to visit.