CELEBRATING THE MODERN WOMAN

Patek Philippe's Twenty-4 collection has come a long way since its inception at the turn of the millennium, and this year's anniversary edition is a sign of the times.

- AARON DE SILVA

The year was 1999. Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera dominated the airwaves and The Matrix and Fight Club ruled the box office. In the luxury sphere, the Richemont conglomerate was still in bud form, having fully acquired the Vendôme Group a year earlier.

Over at Patek Philippe, the manufacture marched to the beat of its own drums, debuting its very first collection of watches dedicated to women. The Twenty~4 was launched at a time when wristwatches were losing ground to mobile phones as timekeeping devices. Yet, the watchmaking powerhouse bet on the enduring allure of a well-crafted timepiece for women.

It wasn’t Patek Philippe’s first rodeo in women’s watches though. The affinity dates back to 1851, when Britain’s Queen Victoria selected a powder blue Patek Philippe pocket watch at the Great Exhibition in London. Later, in 1868, the manufacture would produce the first Swiss wristwatch for Hungary’s Countess Koscowicz.