Patek Philippe Brings Its Watchmaking Treasures to Milan and Launches New Women’s Collection

There are few things more alluring in the world of watchmaking than seeing a Patek Philippe up close. This fall, that opportunity will be available in Milan on an unusually grand scale, as the Swiss watchmaker brings some of its most extraordinary timepieces—along with its latest creations and centuries of watchmaking history—to Italy for its largest exhibition yet.

From October 2 through 18, Patek Philippe will take over the Palazzo delle Scintille, now known as CityOval, in Milan for the seventh edition of its Watch Art Grand Exhibition. Nearly 2,900 square meters will be devoted to the maison’s universe, with 15 themed spaces offering a behind-the-scenes look at its collections, heritage, and craftsmanship. The exhibition will bring together roughly 500 watches and objects, including the complete current collection, rare handcrafts, historical pieces, and some of the manufacture’s most celebrated complications.

Inside, visitors will move through spaces inspired by Patek Philippe’s world in Geneva, from its historic Rue du Rhône headquarters to its Plan-les-Ouates manufacture and the Patek Philippe Museum. The sheer range of pieces gathered under one roof is a serious draw, too.

Courtesy of Patek Philippe

A sketch of the exhibit’s Manufacture room.

More than 90 pieces from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva will travel to Milan, including watches dating back centuries and a pocket watch once belonging to King Umberto I of Savoy. Additionally, the Rare Handcrafts collection brings traditional decorative arts to the fore, with 27 works showcasing enamelwork, engraving, guilloché, miniature painting, marquetry, and gem-setting. Highlights include the one-of-a-kind “Burano” pocket watch, inspired by the colorful Venetian island, and the “Sicilian Oranges” dome table clock, which depicts orange trees against a miniature view of Palermo.

For Thierry Stern, Patek Philippe’s president, preserving those skills is inseparable from the manufacture’s identity. “I think the younger generation doesn’t always realize that these rare handcrafts are still handmade,” he says. “You need to communicate and teach these arts. We have a responsibility to preserve them and not lose them.”

That philosophy is rooted in the Stern family’s own history with Patek Philippe’s decorative arts. Stern recalls that his father continued commissioning dome clocks in the 1980s, even when there was little demand for them. “If we don’t order them, we will lose the know-how,” his father told him. Today, Stern says, the manufacture can produce only around 14 dome clocks a year, a reminder of just how specialized these techniques have become.

Courtesy of Patek Philippe

The “Sicilian Oranges“ table clock required dozens of shades of enamel and repeated firings at temperatures above 900 degrees Celsius.

Courtesy of Patek Philippe

Guilloché work produces the pattern of waves on the “Burano” Ref. 992/193J-001 pocket watch’s dial.

The exhibition also looks toward the future of the maison. For the fashion-minded, the new Gondolo Ladies First collection revisits the Art Deco-inspired Gondolo silhouette across six jewelry watches, pairing colorful gemstones and diamonds with polished gold. Three feature softly hued opaline dials framed by diamond-set details, while three joaillerie versions are covered in 687 diamonds and accented with blue topaz, green tsavorite, or purple amethyst.

The collection of Milan exclusives offers another distinctly contemporary counterpoint. The limited-edition lineup includes a red-lacquered minute repeater limited to five pieces, a green-dial perpetual calendar in a 100-piece edition, a crisp white Calatrava limited to 200, and a blue-and-red Aquanaut limited to 250. Two five-piece World Time minute repeaters take the most literal approach to the city, depicting Milan by day and night in cloisonné enamel.

Courtesy of Patek Philippe

The three models comprising the Gondolo Ladies First gem-set dials.

Courtesy of Patek Philippe

The three models included in the Joaillerie versions of Gondolo Ladies First.

For those interested in the intersection of fashion, design, art, and horology, Watch Art Milan offers a rare chance to see Patek Philippe at full scale: a house where centuries-old craft traditions, historical masterpieces, and contemporary watchmaking continue to exist side by side.

For Watch Art Milan registration and more information, visit watchart2026.patek.com.

Carly Witteman is Town & Country’s Associate Fashion Editor, covering luxury style, jewelry and timepieces, beauty, and arts and culture while styling various photoshoots and projects for print. You can find her on Instagram at @carlymaewitteman, where she’s probably posting about a Broadway show, her new favorite pair of shoes, or her current read.