The fine art of watchmaking: Patek Philippe is one of the top names in quality watches. Since its fondation in 1839, the Geneva factory has determined the appearance of each type of watch popular at the time, from pocket watches to table clocks and wrist watches. Countless patents have been developed there in order to substantially improve the reliability and precision of their timepieces. At international auctions, their individual models have always been amongst the most highly prized and sought after by collestors.

This volume presents an important private collection with timepieces dating from 1923 to 1981. The exclusive focus of attention is on the most interesting chapter in the history of Patek Philippe's development: the so-called complicated wrist watches whose development was made possible by the firm's winding mechanism, patented in 1861.

The various models are classified according to type of watch and date of production, and are accompanied by the essential technical data together with lavish use of illustrations.