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Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch celebrate 50 years as retail partners
This has been applied to the partnership between Patek Philippe, the last family-owned luxury watch manufacturer in Geneva, Switzerland, and Cortina Watch, Southeast Asia’s leading authority in luxury watch retail.
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(Courtesy of Cortina Watch)
What would enable the partnership of two luxury brands to grow and achieve great success?
Strength is definitely one of the answers.
This has been applied to the partnership between Patek Philippe, the last family-owned luxury watch manufacturer in Geneva, Switzerland, and Cortina Watch, Southeast Asia’s leading authority in luxury watch retail.
Both brands have equally shared their strengths through their longstanding relationship, which has ushered in immense popularity and sustainable growth.
For over 180 years without interruption, Patek Philippe has been working to preserve Geneva’s proud heritage in watchmaking artistry, while Cortina Watch is well recognized for its genuine service and unmatched horological expertise.
The combined strengths of the two brands have been showcased in creativity-and-innovation-based timepiece editions, highlighted in this year’s five decades of relationship.
The connection between Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch extends beyond their retail partnership; it is an intergenerational friendship between the Stern family, who owns Patek Philippe, and the family of Anthony Lim, who are the custodians of Cortina Watch.
“Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch share an intertwined relationship in Asia, from the establishment of the Patek Philippe boutiques across Southeast and East Asia to our shared passion for fine watchmaking and craftsmanship,” says Cortina Watch CEO Jeremy Lim.
“Not only have I personally experienced this through the generous friendship of Thierry Stern and Philippe Stern, so have many of our clients who have had the privilege of visiting the manufacture. We have retained the aesthetic codes of the 25th anniversary Calatrava, launched in 1997, for the 50th-anniversary limited-edition [timepiece].
“This is in homage to the past and present leaders of both companies who have nurtured our longstanding partnership. I hope that it will continue to strengthen over the next 50 years, and with the next generations after us.”
“The friendship between my grandfather, father and Anthony Lim started over 66 years ago and it still stands strong today, much like the relationship between Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch. This is a unique and precious relationship that truly transcends generations, and I am proud to be part of this very special celebration and to present the Ref. 20145M-001 Singapore Skyline Dome Table Clock to Anthony Lim on behalf of my father,” said Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern.
“We look forward to another 50 years of a great partnership and for our next generations to keep this friendship going.”
Geneva Master Time Marketing general manager Deepa Chatrath added: “This strong and unwavering partnership forged between Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch 50 years ago is the perfect embodiment of what Patek Philippe represents. Cortina Watch is a long trusted and very important partner for Patek Philippe in the Southeast Asia region that truly understands the values of Patek Philippe and has nurtured strong relationships over generations of local clients. We look forward to working together as we continue to grow alongside and support each other.”
Since Cortina Watch’s founding in 1972, it has represented Patek Philippe, one of the most respected brands in Swiss watchmaking.
What began as a professional encounter between the founder of Cortina Watch, Anthony Lim, and the late Henri Stern over 66 years ago developed into a longstanding retail partnership that has helped to establish both brands across the Southeast and East Asia region.
Today, Cortina Watch exclusively manages six Patek Philippe specialist boutiques across Asia.
For Cortina Watch, this year also marks the 50th anniversary of its founding.
Special limited-edition watch
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cortina Watch’s founding, as well as five decades of partnership with Patek Philippe in the region, a special limited-edition watch has been created.
The Patek Philippe Ref. 5057G-010 is a new edition of the Ref. 5057R-001 created for Cortina Watch in 1997 to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Limited to 100 pieces, it will be available this year.
The new white gold Ref. 5057G-010 features the same triple row guilloched Clous de Paris hobnail bezel as the first model created for Cortina Watch in 1997, with a charcoal grey sunburst dial with a black-gradient rim, white transfer-printed Roman numerals and white gold, pear-shaped hands.
Powered by the Caliber 240 PS IRM C LU, its display indicates the date, moon phases and power reserve on two subdials, with a small second indication between the four and five o’clock hour markers.
The ultra-thin, self-winding movement has a 48-hour power reserve and can be viewed through the transparent sapphire caseback, which bears the commemorative inscription “Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Since 1972” in white.
Patek Philippe has also created a unique dome clock in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel for the 50th anniversary celebration of Cortina Watch. The Ref. 20145M-001 Singapore Skyline celebrates Singapore’s beautiful urban landscape, from the Merlion mascot and Central Business District to the Gardens by the Bay, Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands, where the second Patek Philippe boutique was opened in Singapore by Cortina Watch.
To create the contours of the city skyline and its most emblematic monuments, the enameller used 9.2 millimeters of 24-karat gold wire (18.45 grams) measuring 0.2 mm by 0.6 mm in cross-section, cut into tiny segments and shaped by hand.
For the scene’s magical tints, with their subtle gradations and layered effects, a palette of 50 enamel colors was used: 47 transparent, one opaque and two opalescent.
Each enameled plate required 10 to 14 firings at temperatures between 890 degrees Celsius and 910 degrees. A shower of 50 gold stars and fireworks, made using gold and silver dust, cascade the sky to celebrate the jubilee.
A guilloched hour circle with dentate edges echoing the flowers in the garden city, set with 12 baguette markers made of lapis lazuli (2.27 carats), frames a dial center in cloisonné enamel. An engraved inscription “Cortina Watch – 50th Anniversary – Since 1972” is discreetly indicated on the clock. The dome table clock is powered by the Caliber 17 PEND mechanical movement rewound by an electric motor.
Traveling exhibition
To celebrate this longstanding partnership that transcends generations, Cortina Watch and Patek Philippe will cohost an exhibition that showcases their affiliation. The exhibition will present the Ref. 5057G-010 and Singapore Skyline dome table clock, together with the Ref. 5057R-001 25th-anniversary model. It will also include Cortina Watch’s collection of several other unique Patek Philippe creations, such as the Ref. 1677M Esplanade, created for Singapore’s Golden Jubilee in 2015; the Ref. 20094M-001 Bay of Singapore, created for the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition, hosted in Singapore in 2019; and Ref. 20040M-001 Twilight Taipei, created to commemorate the first Patek Philippe boutique established in the city’s most prominent skyscraper.
The traveling exhibition will be held at Patek Philippe boutiques across the region, starting with ION Orchard and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. It will travel to Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia before finally returning to Singapore toward the end of the year.
