The Patek Philippe Seal regulations

A seal of quality is worth only as much as the accountability mechanisms that guarantee strict compliance with its rules. Apart from the regulations, the company created institutions to assure that the rules are obeyed without the slightest compromise: a legislative body and an executive body that operate independently from one another.

The Comité du Poinçon Patek Philippe is the legislative entity. It defines the rules for the Patek Philippe Seal, continuously adjusts the regulations to accommodate relevant developments, and lays the groundwork for strategic decisions. The Comité du Poinçon Patek Philippe consists of two subcommittees: the Comité Technique (responsible for technical issues) and the Comité Esthétique (responsible for aesthetic issues). The two subcommittees are required to be in constant communication.

To ensure absolute compliance with the rules of the Patek Philippe Seal, it is necessary to continuously monitor their observance in all work processes. At the same time, new provisions must immediately be integrated into the workshops. These two responsibilities lie in the hands of the Commission de surveillance (Supervisory Authority). This completely independent, executive entity works on a daily basis and reports to the Comité du Poinçon Patek Philippe.

The President and Vice President of the manufacture are active as the Garants du Poinçon Patek Philippe (guardians of the Patek Philippe Seal).

Patek Philippe leverages its independence

While many prestigious brands have grouped together within ever-larger corporations, Patek Philippe has always fiercely defended its independence. Today, the company ranks among the last “complete” manufactures. It can forge its own future without having to heed overriding interests. Patek Philippe has the entrepreneurial latitude to safeguard the company’s success and the exclusivity of its products in the long-term perspective.

This is the tradition that inspired the Patek Philippe Seal; it will motivate and empower the ambitious Geneva workshops en route to new achievements in this and coming generations.

The Geneva Seal – currently the hallmark of all mechanical movements crafted by Patek Philippe – will gradually be replaced by the Patek Philippe Seal starting in the spring of 2009.

During the spring of 2009, the introduction of the Patek Philippe Seal will be supported by a new institutional campaign in selective media. In the ads, the President and Vice President of Patek Philippe – portrayed by world renowned British photographer John Swannell – will explain how the seal embodies the company’s values and standards.