Antoni Patek: insurgent, émigré and founder of the world’s most famous watchmaking company

The name, at least to the ear, does not immediately bring to mind any associations with Poland or Poles, which is why today’s customers regard the Patek brand as a Swiss ‘brand’. Who was the founder of the watchmaking empire that has been operating worldwide from 1839 to the present day?

Antoni Patek – where did the founder of the famous Swiss watches come from?

The details regarding the ancestry and family of Antoni Norbert Patek are not entirely clear, at least as far as his origins are concerned. One thing, however, is certain – Antoni Patek was born in Piaski Szlacheckie near Lublin in the memorable year of 1812 – if one is to believe Mickiewicz’s *Pan Tadeusz* – on 14 June, to be precise, ‘the year of war, the year of plenty’. As a young man, Antoni Patek enlisted in 1828 with the 1st Regiment of Mounted Rifles of the Augustów Cavalry, stationed in Warsaw. Whilst serving as a professional soldier, he lived to see the outbreak of the November Uprising; he was quickly promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. Wounded twice, Antoni Patek was awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari.

Following the defeat of the uprising, the nineteen-year-old officer shared the fate of the Polish army, numbering several tens of thousands, which attempted to reach France via Saxony. Another unknown aspect of Patek’s biography is the report that, on the orders of General Józef Bem, he was to supervise the crossing of Polish refugees from Germany to France. He then attempted to build a new life for himself in the French provinces. He settled first in Bourges, then in Cahors and finally in Amiens, where he worked as a typesetter for two years. However, France was not meant to be Patek’s permanent home.

Antoni Patek – the story of Swiss watches by a Polish entrepreneur

As a result of political turmoil (the French government’s refusal, under pressure from Russia, to allow Polish emigrants to settle in France), Antoni Patek moved to Switzerland, settling in Geneva. Here, he began private tuition in painting under the then-renowned landscape painter Alexandre Calame. Wishing to study and support himself in Geneva, which was by no means the cheapest place to live, the former second lieutenant in the Polish army took up trading in wine and other spirits. But this line of work clearly did not entirely suit him.

Patka’s ambitions began to take shape when he came into contact with the community of Swiss watchmakers. He observed their work very closely. From these observations, he became convinced that he would never become a professional watchmaker, but that he could specialise in embellishing ready-made movements. He began by buying up watch cases, which he then adorned with unique engravings. Seeing that the business was generating a considerable income and – most importantly – that there was a demand for it, he invested the money he had earned, commissioning renowned miniaturists, engravers and enamellers to decorate watch movements and cases.

Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek – watches from ‘Patek, Czapek & Cie’

This is how the company came into being, which Patek founded in 1839 with another Pole of Czech origin, Franciszek Czapek. Originally, the manufactory was called ‘Patek, Czapek & Cie’ and was situated in one of the most expensive locations in Geneva, on Quai General Guisan. It was through his business partner that Patek came to know the Genevan watchmaker Moreau, who in turn introduced him to his cousin, his future wife and the mother of his three children. The company’s rapid growth led the partners to employ two further watchmakers, both Polish emigrants: Władysław Bandurski and Wincenty Gostkowski.

Initially, the clientele consisted of Polish emigrants, who usually chose religious and patriotic motifs for their watches. Each watch was a miniature and unique work of art, and therefore expensive, but those who placed orders with ‘Patek, Czapek & Cie’ were by no means among the poorest.

Patek-Philippe – watches by renowned masters

After six years, Patek and Czapek ended their partnership. Franciszek Czapek withdrew from the firm and was replaced by Adrien Philippe, a French watchmaker and engineer, the inventor of a new winding mechanism with a crown, replacing the traditional key. The new partners met in 1844 at the Exhibition of French Industrial Production in Paris. In 1851, the firm, under the name ‘Patek, Philippe & Cie’, began producing elegant and luxurious pocket and wristwatches.

Antoni Patek – watchmaker to Queen Victoria, Albert Einstein and Elton John

Antoni Patek nurtured the company’s business relationships through numerous journeys (to England, the United States and Russia). The company’s fame and prestige had grown immeasurably since the Great Exhibition in London (1851), at which an exquisite brooch-shaped watch with a chain was purchased for Queen Victoria. From that moment on, the royal courts of Europe had no choice but to keep track of their own time and that of their subjects with watches from ‘Patek, Philippe & Cie’.

Owners of Patek watches included popes, monarchs, politicians, artists and scientists. Among them were, amongst others: Tsar Nicholas II, Joseph Stalin, Albert Einstein, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Richard Wagner, Pablo Picasso and Elton John. To date, the most expensive watch by ‘Patek, Philippe & Cie’ has been valued at 24 million dollars; it was commissioned by the banker Henry Graves

Antoni Patek – an activist of the Great Emigration

Antoni Patek knew how to share his fortune and never forgot his fellow Poles suffering the hardships of exile. He provided financial support to the independence movement during the Spring of Nations and to refugees fleeing the country following the defeat of the January Uprising. He was one of the co-founders of the Polish Reading Room and Library in Geneva. He was also an active member of the Polish Democratic Society and the Society for the National Education of Polish Refugee Children. He sympathised with the Resurrectionist priests. In recognition of his work for the Catholic community in Geneva, he was granted the title of Count by Pope Pius IX.

The gravestone of Antoni Norbert Patek in Geneva

Antoni Patek died in Geneva on 1 March 1877. He was laid to rest at Châtelaine Cemetery, Geneva’s second-oldest cemetery (founded in 1854), situated on the right bank of the Rhône.

Erected at the end of the 19th century, the monumental (dimensions: height 345 cm, width 130 cm, length 275 cm) takes the form of an ornate, multi-tiered column shaft (cippus) set upon a horizontal rectangular stone slab. The upper part of the column is crowned with a cross, beneath which there is a carved floral decoration. The vertical main inscription panel is adorned with carved acanthus leaves. The concise Latin inscription, carved into the stone, contains the first name, surname (and title of count) of the deceased, as well as the dates of his life. The lower section bears inscriptions relating to two other members of the family. The gravestone is made of clayey limestone. The grave is surrounded by a fence incorporating four posts, which were once connected by a cast-iron chain.

Conservation of Antoni Patka’s grave at Châtelaine Cemetery

On the 180th anniversary of the founding of the firm ‘Patek, Czapek & Cie’, using funds from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage’s programme ‘Places of National Remembrance Abroad’ the ‘Silva Rerum Polonarum’ Foundation carried out the conservation and restoration of Antoni Patka’s gravestone at the Châtelaine cemetery.