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The present head of Patek Philippe company is Thierry Stern who became the director two years ago. It is the fourth stern, who keeps tenderly the heritage of whole Patek Philippe company for the future.
Thierry Stern started to work for Patek Philippe when he was 18 years old after his graduation from some school of commerce. Which means that for a family business he even refused to study at University. In 1998 he was appointed to the position of the department and after this to the position of the vice-president of the company, to 2009 he became the head of Patek Philippe.
From early childhood Thierry Stern passionately looked through his father's collection of pocket watch. This collection was the beginning of Patek Philippe museum's collection.
The keeper of Patek Philippe museum Arno Telier every time offers to Thierry to touch the watches, to examine their functions but he refuses to do this always.
But Thierry Sterh has a direct relation to the production made by Patek Philippe today. More over any watch (even some model supplied with repeater for example) would not be approved by Thierry Stern till he inspect and examine them himself. Too loud watches always sent to improvement.
Except one's careful attitude towards work, Thierry Stern is famous for that he adopted a new quality standard - an identification mark of Patek Philippe. For Patek Philippe as for any other modern watch-producing brand it is very remarkable to get a Geneva seal but to get a personal seal is not very easy. That is why in 2009 Patek Philippe watch company made a personal Patek Philippe Seal.
 Stern family got Patek Philippe company thanks to financial crisis of far 1929. As people say: no such good luck had not bad luck helped. Financial crisis made Adrien Philippe to look for help and there was Stern brothers who did it. Sterns had Fabrique de Cadrans Stern Freres which supplied Patek Philippe with exclusive dials.
In 1932 Stern brothers bought Patek Philippe completely. So then the company was managed by a competent person, who knew the way with horology business and also could keep the company afloat.
In 1958 the head position was shifted to Henry Stern – not only because of his surname, but because he was worth this place.
In 1936 he founded Henri Stern Watch Agency – a distribution office of Patek Philippe in New York. After this he was the head of Patek Philippe manufacture for more than 20 years. During the time of his management lever watch, supplied with a tourbillon ans swinging balance spring was released. This model was registered in Geneva observatory in 1962, which proves unbeatable record of Patek Philippe watch's accuracy.
Henry Stern was not only a talented man but also he was a good manager and a key person in the company's history. It was he who gathered historic heritage of Patek Philippe from pieces, having collected the greatest collection of watches in the world kept in Patek Philippe museum in Switzerland. Henry Stern gathered not only the most important watches (more than 500  items), but also the exposition showing horology development.
In 1978 the position of Patek Philippe president was taken by his son Philippe Stern. In 1989 (the time of his managing) the legendary model Caliber 89, was made by skillful watchmakers of Patek Philippe. This model was aimed to the 150th company's anniversary and were considered to be the most complicated watch in the world.
After this Philippe Stern created a new watch model for a new century - Star Caliber 2000 which also was considered to be the most complicated in the world of exclusive watch Patek Philippe. Finally in 2001 Philippe Stern sucsessfully realised the idea of his father and opened Patek Philippe museum.
Since August 2009 the position of the president is taken by Tiery stern who adopted this position after his father Philippe, which means that Patek Philippe company is ruled by the fourth generation of Sterns. |
