A 1928 pocket watch made
for Henry Graves Jr.
A 1963 desk clock commissioned by
German retailer Heinz Wipperfeld and
made by Patek Philippe for President
John F. Kennedy.
A
mericans gained a thorough insight into the history
of fi ne watchmaking as Patek Philippe opened up its
vaults this past July to present “The Art of Watches,
Grand Exhibition New York 2017” at Cipriani on 42nd Street.
And among the ten thematic display rooms, one specifi cally
explored how U.S. collectors have long helped shape the Ge-
neva watchmaker’s history.
Within the exhibit, Patek Philippe demonstrated this deep
connection as it curated a special U.S. Historic room with
twenty-seven timepieces that were on loan from a variety of
sources, including private collections, the Patek Philippe Mu-
seum in Geneva and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
and Museum.
Highlights from the U.S. Historic Room included eleven time-
pieces from two of the best-known American Patek Philippe
collectors: Henry Graves Jr. and James Ward Packard.
“The United States has been an extremely important mar-
ket for Patek Philippe collectors since the 1850s,” says Larry
Pettinelli, President of Patek Philippe U.S. “We hope that by
showcasing some of these extraordinary timepieces we helped
visitors put into context the evolution of Patek Philippe within
the U.S. market.”
Enthusiasts are well aware that these captains of industry
from the early 20th century American ordered some of the
most complicated timepieces available at the time.
Graves, a New York banker and fi ne arts enthusiast, famous-
ly commissioned many Patek Philippe timepieces including
the 1933 “Henry Graves Supercomplication” pocket watch
with twenty-four complications. This is the watch that Sothe-
by’s auctioned in 2014 for more than 23 million dollars. The
U.S Historic Room at the exhibition will showcase six Graves
signifi cant watches from the Patek Philippe Museum, including
his 1928 open-face, keyless winding pocket watch with Minute
Repeater, Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, Perpetual Calen-
dar, and Moon Phases.
Ohio auto magnate James Ward Packard also commissioned
numerous complicated watches, including the fi rst timepiece
featuring a celestial sky chart made by Patek Philippe.
An astronomical pocket watch called “The Packard” was
among the fi ve watches presented at the exhibition. Com-
missioned in 1927, this astronomical pocket watch features a
Minute Repeater on three gongs, perpetual calendar, age and
phases of the moon, time of sunrise and sunset in Warren,
Ohio, running equation of time, and sky chart for the latitude
of Warren. The back of the case opens to reveal a rotating
celestial map with more than 500 stars enameled in gold,
depicting the night sky as it would appear in any given night
over Packard’s birthplace.
KENNEDY CLOCK
On loan from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and
Museum in Boston, this piece is a special desk clock commis-
sioned by German retailer Heinz Wipperfeld and manufactured
by Patek Philippe for President John F. Kennedy. Willy Brandt,
the mayor of West Berlin, presented the clock to President
Kennedy during Kennedy’s visit in June 1963, when he made
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