The Patek Philippe Museum is, without debate, the most important collection of replica watches in the world. Its curator, Dr. Peter Friess, is the man tasked with managing it, maintaining it, and indeed, continuing to build it.
With a CV that contains the names Smithsonian and Getty, it is no surprise that Friess was selected to manage the Stern's most prized possessions, but in this interview with our old friend and former HODINKEE contributor John Reardon, we learn much more about the man behind the collection (like, for example, did you know he once helped Steve Jobs disassemble a watch?) and the collection itself (did you know the very first perpetual calendar ever created for a portable timepiece was recently added? It was, a Thomas Mudge from 1762, which was on the block at Sotheby's last July, and hammered for £62,500).
Patek Philippe deck chronometer, awarded a Bulletin de Première Classe (first class rating) at the Geneva Observatory in 1908. Patek Philippe Museum.
Though the Museum as you might imagine has an incredible collection of Patek replica watches and clocks, Dr. Friess explains in the interview that in fact, the lion's share of its resources go to developing its incredible range of European replica watches and clocks from the era pre-dating the founding of Patek.
Quarter repeater chiming on four bells, Chauvel of London, 1730. Patek Philippe Museum.
This is a highly enjoyable read and a fascinating look inside the most incredible collection of replica watches on earth. Read it here, and if you're interested take a look at our visit to the Museum back in late 2014 (and see if you can spot the Patek Philippe tourbillon once worn as a personal fake watch by Patek's Philippe Stern).
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