A young rebel named Antoni Norbert Patek de Prawdzic fled war-torn Poland in 1832 and embarked upon a career path that led him to watchmaker Jean-Adrien Philippe, inventor of the revolutionary built-in crown winding mechanism. In the 160 years since the pair founded Patek Philippe, the line has remained, without a doubt, one of the most traditional and noble watch manufacturers in the world. This illustrated book couples the most exclusive and beautiful timepieces the Genevan brand has ever manufactured with informative history and alluring photographs. Featured inside are several of the most popular examples from three of the company's outstanding watch families: the uncomplicated but cherished Calatrava collection, the groundbreaking sports line Nautilus, and the cross-generational Gondolo family. Each watch is accompanied by a complete list of technical specifications. This book is an essential acquisition for both casual fans and long-time connoisseurs of the brand.

"The distinctive watches from Patek Philippe are among the finer things of this world. Long valued for their precision and elegance, here they are appreciated as well for their financial value and its potential for growth. This book serves as a guide for watch collectors and investors alike."--Jacket.

Founded in Geneva in 1839, and to this day a family-owned company, Patek Philippe makes what are widely regarded as the world's finest mechanical watches. The famous 1933 pocket watch known as the "Graves" supercomplication, sold at auction in 2014 for US$23,934,00. This book tells the story of the world-renowned watchmakers, Patek Philippe.

With this magnificent volume, watch expert and authority John Goldberger, author of 100 Superlative Rolex Watches, presents the most beautiful and remarkable watches ever fitted with steel cases by the Geneva-based watch company Patek Philippe. With the collaboration of the world's leading collectors and connoisseurs, the collection presented in this exclusive publication is the result of painstaking research, supplemented by professional photographs that show the most minute details and characteristics of the movement, case and dial of each timekeeper. With 187 superb examples, as well as over 900 color illustrations and 800 descriptive texts, this volume offers the watch collector and enthusiast invaluable information about the finest rare masterpieces of Patek Philippe's production, including recent research on referencenumbers, dials, movements, related calibers and each watch's year of production. Organized in 12 chapters, this tome covers a century of the company's quintessential spirit and style.

Showcasing travel photographs by more than 150 of America’s top architects and designers, Travel by Design is an inspiring guide to the power of travel to shape and expand our world. Travel by Design reminds us of the beauty and importance of travel, with images of more than 100 locations in 60 countries, from exotic destinations and global cities to adventure travels and all-American escapes. More than 350 photographs take readers on a global journey through cityscapes, ancient civilizations, luxurious resorts, and stunning natural wonders, all seen through the discerning and artistic eyes of today’s leading creative talents. The images are sure to inspire dreams of escape, and the 40 pages of insider resources—from favorite hotels and restaurants to secret shopping sources and must-see monuments—will make planning future trips reassuring and easy.

Two wealthy and powerful men engage in a decades-long contest to create and possess the most remarkable watch in history. James Ward Packard of Warren, Ohio, was an entrepreneur and a talented engineer of infinite curiosity, a self-made man who earned millions from his inventions, including the design and manufacture of America’s first luxury car—the elegant and storied Packard. Henry Graves, Jr., was the very essence of blue-blooded refinement in the early 1900s: son of a Wall Street financier, a central figure in New York high society, and a connoisseur of beautiful things—especially fine watches. Then, as now, expensive watches were the ultimate sign of luxury and wealth, but in the early twentieth century the limitless ambition, wealth, and creativity of these two men pushed the boundaries of mathematics, astronomy, craftsmanship, technology, and physics to create ever more ingenious timepieces. In any watch, features beyond the display of hours, minutes, and seconds are known as “complications.” Packard and Graves spurred acclaimed Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe to create the Mona Lisa of timepieces—a fabled watch that incorporated twenty-four complications and took nearly eight years to design and build. For the period, it was the most complicated watch ever created. For years it disappeared, but then it surfaced at a Sotheby’s auction in 1999, touching off a heated bidding war, shattering all known records when it fetched $11 million from an anonymous bidder. New York Times bestselling author Stacy Perman takes us from the clubby world of New York high society into the ateliers of the greatest Swiss watchmakers, and into the high-octane, often secretive subculture of modern-day watch collecting. With meticulous research, vivid historical details, and a wealth of dynamic personalities, A Grand Complication is the fascinating story of the thrilling duel between two of the most intriguing men of the early twentieth century. Above all, it is a sweeping chronicle of innovation, the desire for beauty, and the lengths people will go to possess it.