It takes 20 specialists and 50 operations to make the case of a Patek Philippe timepiece. The case is cut from a block of metal and cast in a die to give it its shape. It is then passed through state of the art machinery to refine the shape and imprint its serial numbers. After that, it is ready for hand finishing and polishing.
Their gold cases take over an hour to polish by hand, a bracelet over two hours. They use a technique called ‘float finishing’ which is achieved by hand on antique machinery using fabric discs made of real or synthetic hair. This difficult process it what gives the Patek case its smooth, blemish-free shine. The polished case or bracelet cannot be touched after polishing because any contact will damage the polish.
The polished metal is then sent to quality control where it is coated with a varnish called ‘blue’ for protection. The temporary blue varnish is removed prior to the delivery of the timepiece. This attention to detail and adherence to traditional Swiss watchmaking techniques is what sets Patek Philippe apart from other watchmakers.
In our Rubber B e-Boutique, we offer a variety of vulcanized rubber straps designed for Patek Philippe watches. Our bands are made in Switzerland and fit the Patek case with a flush mount, free of gaps or movement. To browse our straps for Patek Philippe, visit rubberb.com.
