Patek Philippe Electronic
20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Steel
20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Quartz
20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Metal, Steel
Late 20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Steel
20th Century Swiss Scientific Instruments
Steel
20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Crystal, Quartz, Metal
20th Century Swiss Industrial Wall Clocks
Quartz
Late 20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Metal
Late 20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Metal, Steel
20th Century Swiss Industrial More Clocks
Metal
Patek Philippe Electronic For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Patek Philippe Electronic?
Patek Philippe Biography and Important Works
It shouldn’t be surprising that a Patek Philippe holds the world auction record for a watch ($31.2 million for a Patek Grandmaster Chime, sold at Christie’s Geneva last November, in case anyone’s wondering). Known for impeccable craftsmanship and some of the most complicated timepieces ever created, the brand is considered by many to be the height of fine watchmaking. The house was founded in Geneva in 1839 by Polish expats Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek. Czapek left the firm, and in 1845, Patek partnered with French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Catering to the glitterati of Europe, the pair counted among their clients Tolstoy, Pope Pius IX and Queen Victoria, as well as Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, for whom they created the first Swiss-made wristwatch in 1868. They also had their eye on the American market and in 1851 entered an arrangement with Tiffany & Co. still in effect today.
During the Great Depression, brothers Jean and Charles Stern, who had previously supplied Patek Philippe with watch dials, bought the company, and it continues to be run by the Stern family today.
Under the Sterns, the house has developed some of its most famous models, including the Calatrava, an elegantly minimal dress watch introduced in 1932 and named for the Calatrava Cross (the company’s logo since 1887), and the Nautilus, the brand’s first sports watch, conceived by legendary designer Gérald Genta in 1976.
Despite the house’s longevity, it’s rumored that it has manufactured fewer than a million Patek watches, making each one all the more coveted.
A Close Look at Industrial Furniture
It’s a look that celebrates the past even as it suggests vigor, productivity and brawn. The newly chic industrial style of decor repurposes the simple, sturdy furnishings of an earlier world of commerce — brushed-metal storage cabinets and display shelves, task lamps and pendant lights with enameled shades, worktables with worn wooden tops and cast-iron bases — and couples them with aesthetic touches emblematic of energy and optimism, from bright upholstery fabrics to flowers.
The rise in prominence of the industrial style has come hand-in-hand with the residential repurposing of former manufacturing and warehouse districts throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In many loft apartments created in shuttered factories, the architectural envelope has been left intact. The interiors feature elements like raw brick walls, exposed steel beams and oak floors whose history is written in every pit and gouge. Patina is the keynote to a decor in sync with such surroundings. On these pages you will find designs that wear their age beautifully — and were built to last.
Finding the Right Clocks for You
A sophisticated clock design, whether it’s a wall clock, desk clock, mantel clock or other variation, is a decorative object to be admired in your home as much as it is a necessary functional element. This is part of the reason clocks make such superb collectibles. Given the versatility of these treasured fixtures — they’ve long been made in a range of shapes, sizes and styles — a clock can prove integral to your own particular interior decor.
Antique and vintage clocks can whisk us back to the 18th and 19th centuries. When most people think of antique clocks, they imagine an Art Deco Bakelite tabletop or wall clock, named for the revolutionary synthetic plastic, Bakelite, of which they’re made, or a stately antique grandfather clock. But the art of clock-making goes way back, transcending continents and encompassing an entire range of design styles and technologies. In short, there are many kinds of clocks depending on your needs.
A variety of wall clocks can be found on 1stDibs. A large antique hand-carved walnut wall clock is best suited to a big room and a flat background given what will likely be outwardly sculptural features, while Georgian grandfather clocks, or longcase clocks, will help welcome rainswept guests into your entryway or foyer. An interactive cuckoo clock, large or small, is guaranteed to bring outsize personality to your living room or dining room. For conversation pieces of a similar breed, mid-century modern enthusiasts go for the curious Ball clock, the first of more than 150 clock models conceived in the studio of legendary architect and designer George Nelson.
Minimalist contemporary clocks and books pair nicely on a shelf, but an eye-catching vintage mantel clock can add balance to your home library while drawing attention to your art and design books and other decorative objects. Ormolu clocks dating from the Louis XVI period, designed in the neoclassical style, are often profusely ornate, featuring architectural flourishes and rich naturalistic details. Rococo-style mantel clocks of Meissen porcelain or porcelain originating from manufacturers in cities such as Limoges, France, during the 18th and 19th centuries, exude an air of imperial elegance on your shelves or side tables and can help give your desk a 19th-century upgrade.
On 1stDibs, find a range of extraordinary antique, new and vintage clocks today.