The exhibition was presented to the press on September 30 and October 1, ahead of its opening to the public. This seventh grand exhibition by Patek Philippe welcomed 68,000 visitors, including 400 members of the press, immersing themselves in the world of the last independent family-owned Geneva watch manufacture. A setting of more than 2,900 square meters transported them behind the scenes of Patek Philippe itself, on the streets and by the shores of Lake Geneva. The largest grand exhibition ever organized by the Manufacture, this event was accompanied by the launch of seven limited editions and a rich collection of Rare Handcrafts pieces.
After Dubai in 2012, Munich in 2013, London in 2015, New York in 2017, Singapore in 2019 and Tokyo in 2023, Patek Philippe chose Milan for its seventh grand exhibition across the world. Italy has always held a prominent position among the Manufacture’s key markets: a country of connoisseurs, treasuring rare handcrafts and able to appreciate all the technical excellence and painstaking workmanship contained in a timepiece. Raised in a culture that combines respect for both tradition and know-how, with a pronounced taste for design and fashion, and a truly pioneering spirit, Italian customers are also perfectly placed to understand the “tradition of innovation” that has guided Patek Philippe since 1839.
In keeping with previous exhibitions, the WATCH ARTTM Grand Exhibition Milan 2026 was held in an emblematic place of the host city, namely at CityOval, previously known as the Palazzo delle Scintille, at the very heart of the CityLife quarter. Fully restored, this building is the last remaining vestige of the past of this exclusive district of contemporary design. Beneath a dome rising to 30 meters, the exhibition extended over an area of approximately 2,900 square meters. No fewer than 15 themed areas presented not only the current collection of watches and movements, but also a selection of historical timepieces specially chosen for this Italian edition, as well as limited-edition watches, including a technical innovation, creations of exceptional fine watchmaking inspired by Italian culture, and a new ladies’ collection presented in a world premiere.
Visitors were able to admire the manufacture’s entire current collection, with its lavish choice of watch families and models for men and for women, spanning every watchmaking segment from the style icons to the most technically complex mechanisms. More than 500 timepieces and objects illustrated a wealth of different types of expertise. The exhibition also invited guests on a journey of discovery into the Patek Philippe universe, including the brand’s landmark Geneva locations – the historic headquarters on the Rue du Rhône, the manufacture at Plan-les-Ouates and the Patek Philippe Museum.
The Rare Handcrafts meticulously preserved by Patek Philippe (including miniature painting on enamel, cloisonné enamel, hand engraving, micro wood marquetry, hand-executed guilloché work and gemsetting), were also on show, with a splendid array of 27 one-of-a-kind pieces and limited editions (dome clocks, table clocks, pocket watches and wristwatches) inspired by Italian culture, with its rich artistic repertoire and ancestral skills.
A generous area was dedicated to complicated watches, one of the manufacture’s strongholds, with a section exclusive to super-complications (such as the Calibre 89 and the Star Caliber 2000), and a space named “Master of Sound” showcasing chiming watches, including the most complex of all, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime (20 complications), and the Sky Moon Tourbillon Reference 6002R-001. Visitors also had the opportunity to meet Patek Philippe master watchmakers, as they carried out demonstrations on a variety of movements. And for the first time at a major grand exhibition, visitors and enthusiasts discovered a space devoted entirely to treasures from the Manufacture’s historical archives.
The exhibition was also a unique opportunity to discover some 80 pieces belonging to the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva and exceptionally allowed to travel to Milan. Those from the “Antique Collection” (sixteenth to early nineteenth century) included some of the oldest watches in the world and numerous technical and aesthetic masterpieces illustrating the entire history of horology. The timepieces from the “Patek Philippe Collection”, tracing the manufacture’s rich heritage, featured the first known perpetual calendar wristwatch, launched by Patek Philippe in 1925 (No. P-72), the World Time wristwatch reference 1415 HU of 1948 (No. P-1026) and a pocket watch with minute repeater and 30-day power reserve from 1918 that had belonged to James Ward Packard (No. P-1703). A section entitled “Historical Owners” invited visitors to admire a pendant watch presented to Queen Victoria at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 (No. P-24) and the 1901 pocket watch bearing the portrait of Pope Leo XIII (No. P- 62), as well as other timepieces that once belonged to famous patrons.
As in previous editions, the WATCH ARTTM Grand Exhibition Milan 2026 hosted the launch of several limited editions in every segment of the Patek Philippe collection. Featuring among the seven new introductions were the new instantaneous perpetual calendar Chronograph with aperture displays (Ref. 5978P-010); a trio of Calatrava models whose contemporary styling, inspired by Ref. 6007, echoes the colors of the Italian flag; a sporty minute repeater with a red lacquered dial and matching alligator leather strap (Ref. 7047G-010); a new perpetual calendar with a green dial and strap (Ref. 7147G-010); and a new Calatrava with a white dial and strap (Ref. 7007G-010). In addition, the Aquanaut Ref. 5167 comes in a new sporty version featuring a blue sunburst dial with a black-gradient, enhanced by a red transferred minute track. Finally, the World Time Minute Repeater was presented for Milan in two versions, with the middle of the dial in cloisonné enamel depicting central Milan by day on Ref. 5531G-012 and by night on Ref. 5531G-013.
To round off the event in style, the new Gondolo Ladies First collection made its world debut with two distinct designs in vibrant colours, one comprising three models with diamond-set dials and the other, three Jewellery versions featuring sophisticated gemsetting on the dial, case and lugs. Inspired by Art Deco, these timepieces combine round and square shapes, for both modern appeal and vintage charm.
Through its Grand Exhibitions, open to the public, offering free admission and encouraging closer acquaintance with its creations, heritage, philosophy and devotion to fine workmanship, Patek Philippe shares its passion for horology with a broad audience ranging from the connoisseur to the novice. The journey of the Grand Exhibition continues, with its next edition scheduled for 2029.
patek.com/watchart2026
Themed Areas and Rooms:
• The Atrium (Sculpture measuring 9m high and 4.5m wide, composed of 2,028 translucent droplets representing the “Jet d’Eau”, one of Geneva’s symbols and major tourist attractions since 1891.
• Historic building, Current Collection Room, 152 pieces
• Historic building, Napoleon Room 2 pieces
• Patek Philippe Museum Room 84 pieces
o 35 pieces of the Antique Collection + 49 pieces of the Patek Philippe Collection
• “Historical Owners” Room 12 pieces
• Rare Handcrafts Room: 25 pieces + 2 World Time Ref. 5531 with cloisonné enamel dial depicting the center of Milan by day and by night
• Artisans Room: wood marquetry, guilloché work, cloisonné enamel, miniature painting on enamel and gemsetting
• Manufacture Room:
o Production phases area
o Movements area: 53 movements in revolving display cabinets + 64 movements displayed in an interactive movement showcase
• Research and Development Area – Advanced Research 7 pieces
• Supercomplications Room 3 pieces - Grandmaster Chime immersive experience
• “Master of Sound” Room 21 pieces
• Archives Room 39 panels
• Watchmakers Room
• Event space dedicated to the new Ladies First Gondolo collection
• Bookstore
• Mini-mapping of “The Encounter between A. N. de Patek and J. A. Philippe”
