Travelling Through Time

One of Patek Philippe's oldest models has an oft-repeated myth, and a new look befitting its age.

- WORDS FARHAN SHAH PHOTOS PATEK PHILIPPE

THERE IS A COMMON MYTH floating around the watch world, repeated so often that it has become fact. That myth: an English horologist David Penney designed the legendary Patek Philippe watch, the reference 96, in 1932.

The Patek Philippe reference 96 is memorable for several reasons. While it didn't single-handedly save the watchmaker from financial ruin during the Great Depression, it did attract a wider audience, thanks to its minimalist design and uncluttered 31mm dial. It was the Stern brothers' first project after buying the failing Patek Philippe manufacture and needed to win hearts and minds out of the gate. It certainly did. A simple three-hand watch, it adopted Bauhaus design principles. That meant form followed function, and ornamentation was kept to a minimum. The Art Deco movement with its ostentation and flair preceded it in the 1930s, so the reference 96 timepiece was a marked departure from the usual form of that era.

But Penney never designed this watch. John Reardon from the horological blog Collectability deserves credit for uncovering this. He went extremely deep down the rabbit hole and even managed to find Penney himself, very much alive and kicking in 2024 when he wrote and published the investigative article.