WATCHheritage Founded in 1860,the former supplier to the RoyalItalian Navy is now a modern makerwith eight of its own movements.

technology The newcaliber P.9001 is a proprietaryautomatic movement with 227components, 4Hz frequency,bidirectional rotor and three-day power reserve.

style Offering more than just dualtime, the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 DaysGMT Automatic features date, stopseconds and power reserve indication.

[ J O U R N A L ] THE WATCH MAGAZINE REDEFINED��: ���� | WATCH JOURNA L .COM

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CO_WJ1_COVER_001:CO_WJ1_001_SPOT 7/30/09 12:16 PM Page 1

Watch Journalesents

PATEK PHIILIPPEA QUALITY SEAL

11010:2009 | WATC H J O U R N A L .C OM

the evolution of a philosophy of quality

and independence

Patek Philippe made big news during Baselworld 2008 when president Philippe Sternannounced that the company would be developing its own quality standard, which it would adoptin place of the Geneva Seal quality standard. Following the trade show, there was nothing furtherfrom the brand on this subject—until this year’s Baselworld. Patek Philippe officially unveiled thePatek Philippe Seal, which is an attempt by the company to record and standardize its own internalprocesses. It seems the company believed that the existing quality standards, and there are several,fell short of those Patek Philippe already maintained.

Patek Philippe touts spring 2009 as the beginning of a new era: “All of the manufacture’smechanical movements will henceforth be embossed with the exclusive Patek Philippe Seal. This isthe evolution of a philosophy of quality and independence that the workshops in Geneva have beensystematically pursuing since the company was founded in 1839. The new label clearly expresses

A QUALITY SEALA L O O K A T T H E P A T E K P H I L I P P E S E A L

CO_WJ1_PPSeal_110-112:InSync 7/30/09 4:54 PM Page 110

The Patek Philippe Seal

embodies the values

and standards of our

family watch company.

At the end of the day,

it comes down to trust.

It will be a constantly

changing standard,as

new and better processes

are developed.

CO_WJ1_PPSeal_110-112:InSync 7/30/09 4:55 PM Page 111

11210:2009 | WATC H J O U R N A L .C OM

the very essence and distinctiveness of PatekPhilippe: a level of perfection that far tran-scends what external statutes and officialstandards prescribe. After all, true passioncan only come from within.”

If the company making this statementwere Hyundai, it might be met with greatskepticism, but because Patek Philippe isgenerally regarded as the gold standard whenit comes to quality in watchmaking, the PatekPhilippe Seal has been met with a high levelof acceptance. “The scope of the Geneva Sealwas limited, and there are more seals out there,and Patek needed to do something to showthe distinctiveness of our timepieces,” saysLarry Pettinelli, president, Patek Philippe NA.

“At the end of the day, it comes down totrust,” he continues. “If you trusted Patekbefore to do the right thing, there is now evenmore reason to trust Patek. The product won’tbe made any differently; we are just defining

it now, for ourselves and for our customers.”Unlike the Geneva Seal, which is primarilya finishing standard, and the COSC certifica-tion, which focuses on precision, the PatekPhilippe Seal is designed to cover the entirewatch. The new seal “defines all competenciesand features of relevance to the manufac-ture, precision and lifelong maintenance ofa Patek Philippe timepiece,” according toPatek’s materials.

Although Patek Philippe developed theseal, the company has set up an organizationthat will hold the manufacture accountablefor any deviation from the standard. In fact,there are a legislative body and an executivebody that operate independently from oneanother, supervising the Patek Philippe Seal.

The Comité du Poinçon Patek Philippe isthe legislative entity, which defines thequalifications for the Patek Philippe Sealand continuously adjusts the regulationsto accommodate relevant developments.The Comité du Poinçon Patek Philippeconsists of two subcommittees: the ComitéTechnique (for technical issues) and theComité Esthétique (for aesthetic issues).These two subcommittees monitor all workprocesses continuously, to ensure compli-ance. The president, Philippe Stern, and vicepresident, Thierry Stern, of the manufactureare the Garants du Poinçon Patek Philippe—guardians of the Patek Philippe Seal.

“I clearly understand why they didn’t wantexternal people involved, being an inde-pendent—if we give someone access to allthe information on how we make our product(ten thick volumes outlining every process inthe production of every model), they wouldknow everything. It would be too dangerous,”notes Pettinelli.

“I don’t know how interested our con-sumers will be in the Patek Philippe Seal,” headds. “We are sending booklets and bulletpoints to our retailers and incorporating theinformation into the training for the sales staff,so they are ready to answer any questions. Weare running national and international ads.We are putting some money behind this cam-paign to explain what we are doing and whowe are, which is also brand building.”

The Patek Philippe Seal will be a constant-ly changing standard, as new and betterprocesses are developed. “[The elder] Mr.Stern wanted a standard that would certifythe entire watch, and he wanted to make sureit could evolve (the last change to the GenevaSeal was in 1957). If there is a better way, hewants to be able to write it in,” Pettinelli says.“He isn’t establishing the new seal to gainmore credibility. It’s just a way to formalizewhat we have been doing all along. We want-ed to put in writing how we do it—precision,finishing, everything, including service.”

It would be easy for an industry leader suchas Patek Philippe to get complacent aboutwhat it does and even to stagnate, but to thiscompany’s credit, it is continually looking toimprove. The Patek Philippe Seal codifies thisincessant desire.

By Keith W. Strandberg, international edi-tor. For more information, visit patek.com ortelephone 212.218.1240.

The Annual Calendar

Chronograph in rose

gold, bearing the

Patek Philippe Seal

President, Philippe Stern, and

vice president, Thierry Stern

CO_WJ1_PPSeal_110-112:InSync 7/30/09 4:57 PM Page 112