When Patek Philippe hosted its 2015 biennial Grand Exhibition to celebrate its watchmaking heritage in London, the brand dedicated an entire room to its Royal Collection, consisting of more than 15 royal timepieces.
The exhibition space was designed to evoke the 1851 Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace at Hyde Park in London. At that historic event, Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch at the time, acquired a Patek Philippe open-face, key-winding, and hand-setting pendant watch and matching brooch. The yellow gold timepiece embellished with blue enameling and a flower with accents set with rose-cut diamonds was a highlight of the 2015 display.
While Queen Victoria may have been the first British monarch to possess a treasure from the esteemed brand, she was certainly not the last. The exhibition also showcased a Ref. 4975/1G with diamonds and a multistrand pearl bracelet that belongs to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who lent the extravagant jewelry watch so the public could admire it.
Queen Elizabeth’s appreciation of fine Swiss timepieces was cultivated from a young age. On the occasion of her wedding in 1947, the Swiss Federal Republic presented her with a diamond-set Vacheron Constantin model 4481 designed for her. In 1981, she passed it on to Princess Diana as a wedding gift when she married Prince Charles.