Patek Philippe has collaborated with the National Museum of Singapore, an institution of the National Heritage Board, Singapore, as a joint effort in the preservation of arts and heritage. Running until the 13th of October, The Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre is the largest Grand Exhibition to date.
Collectors, aficionados of watchmaking artistry and the general public can immerse themselves in the world of Patek Philippe as if they were personally visiting the historic salons on Rue du Rhône in Geneva, the manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, or the Patek Philippe Museum.
In continuation of the brand’s efforts towards contributing to arts and heritage, 100 percent of the proceeds from the sales of Patek Philippe’s limited-edition commemorative catalogue will be donated to the National Museum of Singapore. The catalogue highlights the hundreds of historical timepieces, current collection (including 2019 new models), rare handcrafts, and grand complications that will be showcased during the exhibition.
This isn’t the first time that the Geneva based watch maker is associating with the National Museum. They have previously collaborated with the museum in support of the refurbishment of the Glass Rotunda, a multilevel Museum space and the Story of the Forest installation – a crowd favourite inspired by the Museum’s prized William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.
With a history dating back to 1887, the National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum in Singapore. The proceeds from the Watch Art Grand Exhibition, will support the National Museum’s exhibition offerings and programmes to provide visitors with more quality opportunities to enjoy and experience Singapore’s shared heritage.
“We are delighted to be able to continue Patek Philippe’s relationship with the National Museum, in our joint endeavour to cultivate and grow the appreciation of culture and respect for our environment in Singapore and beyond”, Deepa Chatrath, General Manager of Geneva Master Time Marketing LLP said.
“We could not have chosen a more fitting partner than the National Museum, an institution of the National Heritage Board to build the growing appreciation and understanding of Singapore’s heritage and culture while paying homage to Singapore’s bicentennial commemoration.” – Deepa Chatrath, General Manager of Geneva Master Time Marketing LLP
Chang Hwee Nee, Chief Executive Officer of the National Heritage Board, said, “Contributions from donors like Patek Philippe are invaluable. They allow our national institutions like the National Museum of Singapore to continue engaging visitors in Singapore’s history in fresh and innovative ways, as well as make our heritage more accessible to all. We are honoured that Patek Philippe has pledged to make another donation to the National Museum, and look forward to our continued partnership.”
The brand has created some special limited-edition timepieces just for the “Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019”. The most complicated of them is the Minute Repeater Tourbillon Singapore 2019 Special Edition (Ref. 5303R-010) which is fascinating both visually and horologically.
The new Ref. 5303 Minute Repeater has an open architecture that exposes the heart of the R TO 27 PS movement, which combines a minute repeater and tourbillon. It shows the tourbillon regulator at six o’clock, something that has historically been hidden on the back of all wristwatch tourbillons. To assure a clear view of the strikework, the movement was partially reengineered to expose the gongs and hammers on the dial side of the plate. This redesign required some twenty new components that had to be integrated in an already very compact space.
The rose-gold case of the special edition borrows the inimitable design of the Ref. 5304, showing a broad cambered and polished bezel as well as a case flank and strap lugs with white-gold intarsias in the form of arabesques and latticework. These decorative elements call for the ultimate in artisanship. The slide for actuating the minute repeater in the left-hand case flank is made of white gold as well. As a gesture of reverence to the global première of this grand complication in Singapore, the hour scale is a red-lacquered sapphire crystal ring decorated with white stars reminiscent of the flag of the Asian city-state. The view of the movement through the display back is framed by a pierced decor in 18K white gold to match the case intarsias. The shiny black alligator strap features red stitching color-coordinated with the hour scale.
Only 12 pieces will be made of this extraordinary timepiece.
The Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 is a free public exhibition the tickets for which can be reserved at http://www.patek.com.
