“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” Obviously, Shakespeare didn't have Patek Philippe in mind when writing those lines. But the comparison stands because the brand has had no hesitation making a very massive statement of greatness. When visiting the gigantic building known as PP6, which houses the brand's manufacturing facilities, one cannot but get a very clear message : Patek is all powerful. Inaugurated in 2020, PP6 is located a few steps away from Patek Philippe's headquarters, took five years to build and several more months to outfit.
PP6's impressive nature is easily demonstrated with a few figures. 190 meters long, 34 meters high, its total floor surface is 133 650 m², all of which is nothing short of immense. A quick actual glance will say as much, as the long, slender and white architectural feat shares many design attributes with a superyacht, including its sense of hyperbole. No photographs are allowed and there are none available from what's happening inside.
Yet PP6 is about more than data. It's a statement of strength, independence and wealth. The brand insists that it was entirely paid for in cash, and that they didn't need to borrow any of the 600 million Francs the whole thing cost. This information is of no use to any member of the public, except to say that Patek Philippe is so solid they can afford what would be a nonsensical decision to anyone else.
Beyond the message, scale and symbols, Patek Philippe achieved something altogether more unusual with this facility. Instead of just having people, machines and its culture move in, the brand took that opportunity to replace its entire array of machining centers. Anyone who knows how to read a manufacturing floor will realize how massive a gesture that is. Dozens upon dozens of last generation automated machines throughout a dozen manufacturing areas have been entirely renewed. Case machining, bracelet manufacturing, movement components (all of them except hairsprings, mainsprings and rubies), no less than 17 million pieces are manufactured on these brand new, full-option mills. The investment is staggering, especially since it's been used to craft only 66 000 timepieces in 2021.
This behemoth certainly changed a lot of things for Patek Philippe, but at its core, the brand remains what it's now been for twenty years. The watchmaker workshops in charge of complications and grand complications haven't budged. All of their 66 watchmakers are still located in the same area of the brand's headquarters. The Vallée de Joux and Crêt du Locle facilities are still in place, because who could afford to see the people working there walk away with their many years of experience? If there's one message about the brand that really counts, it would be this one : Patek Philippe's process and the way it defines quality hasn't changed when PP6 started running.
