Philippe Stern, Patek Philippe Heir, Dies at 88 After Defending Swiss Watches in the 1970s
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28
Philippe Stern, Patek Philippe Heir, Dies at 88 After Defending Swiss Watches in the 1970s
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28
Summary
Philippe Stern died on June 14 at 88, Patek Philippe said, with the Geneva-based watchmaker giving no place or cause of death.
As the third generation of his family to run Patek Philippe, Stern served as president from 1993 to 2009 and steered the brand through the fallout from the 1970s quartz crisis.
Seiko’s 1969 quartz wristwatch helped make cheaper, more accurate electronic timepieces dominant, driving a steep employment collapse across Swiss watchmaking into the late 1980s.
Stern responded by pushing technically ambitious mechanical models and marketing handmade watches priced around $40,000 as status symbols, helping build a global collector market.
That strategy made him influential beyond Patek Philippe, with watch enthusiasts crediting him as a guardian of the vision that shaped modern high-end mechanical watchmaking.