Meet the Frenchman who owns one of the largest collections of Patek Philippe watches in the world
Patrick Getreide, a successful real estate entrepreneur, recently decided to come out about his secret passion: collecting the most beautiful watches.
He chose the Design Museum in London, from May 19 to 25, to share with the public 160 of the 600 models he has collected over the years. Among them, the most beautiful set of Patek Philippe watch in the world. He told Luxus+ Mag about his hobby.
Luxus+ Mag: For a businessman who is always in a hurry, is collecting watches your way of controlling time? Or are there other motivations?
Patrick Getreide: “It’s all about emotion, I’m not looking for a way to master time. I feel a particular emotion when I discover a watch that fascinates me. It’s immediate. In the past, I used to collect matches and then pens, when I was younger and had less means. But watches give me a special emotion that is irreplaceable” .
Your passion for watches goes back to your childhood. Can you tell us about your Madeleine de Proust?
PG: “When I was a young teenager studying in Switzerland, I often passed a watch store in Rolle, a town in French-speaking Switzerland not far from Geneva. I must have passed 50 times in front of the shop window and then I decided to ask for a credit… because the piece was way too expensive for a 13-year-old. So, I asked my father who helped me. Later on, the big event in my life as a collector was undoubtedly the first Patek Philippe I acquired, in 1985. It was a 3970, this piece was desired and expected since it was paid in three times! It was in the Paris boutique. I then met Mr. Thierry Stern (the president of Patek Philippe, editor’s note) who offered to show me the collection if I went to Geneva. Which I did. Since that day, I have learned to discover the company and its collections to the point of becoming an absolute enthusiast” .
Your collection focuses on Patek Philippe and, to a lesser extent, Rolex. Why such a strong preference for these two companies?
PG: “Simply because they are the best. Patek Philippe has extraordinary watches in all its families and covers all categories of timepieces, from the most classic models to the most complicated ones, including sports and crafts models. A huge choice offering true marvels. As for Rolex, these are watches that everyone loves and that never break down. A reference… and they have an exceptional price” .
If you had to take only one model from this fabulous collection to a desert island, what would it be?
PG: “The 1579 in platinum (from Patek Philippe)” .
Read also > A SHORT HISTORY OF LUXURY: HOW HAS THE DESIGN OF CHOPARD TIMEPIECES EVOLVED THROUGH THE AGES?
Featured photo : © Passion Horlogère
