The Twenty-4 Automatique from Patek Philippe, the power to women
At a party in Milan, Patek Philippe presented its new Twenty-4 Automatique to the press. Why does this watch express feminine power? Some clues. Isabelle Cerboneschi
When the Twenty-4 was launched twenty years ago, it was a perfect fit for its time. A pricey watch was usually given to a woman by her husband. He had found the right alibi to give himself a Patek Philippe complication: to give his wife a Patek Philippe model. At the time, it was a watch with a quartz movement, because women were not very interested in the engine driving their watch and did not want to waste time winding it. As men said.
Change of era, change of paradigm. There are still men who give expensive timepieces to their wives, but there are more and more women who buy their watches themselves. Because their purchasing power has evolved with their professional role and because they too are eager to show off their hard-won power.
Why does this watch express feminine power? Here are some clues…
1. It is like the white shirt stolen from the man she loves
Except that the woman who owns a Twenty-4 Automatic “does not wear a man’s shirt: she doesn’t need one! She owns a lady’s watch that is imposing, that looks great, that has as much power as a man’s watch, but it is hers: she didn’t steal it from anyone!”, retorts Sandrine Stern, when I point out a possible parallel with wardrobe exchanges between men and women. Its gold applied Arabic numerals are somewhat reminiscent of those on the Pilot. It gives it a little masculine air, but without really being masculine. Like boyfriend jeans.
2. It’s got a lot going for it
Unlike the Twenty-4, which had a quartz movement, the new version has a self-winding mechanical movement: the 324 S C caliber with a Silinvar® Spiromax® balance spring visible through a transparent sapphire caseback. This is a watch for a woman who expresses her power,” says Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe. Its movement, the 324, is one of the finest in the world, one of the most precise. We created this watch for a connoisseur. A watch made to last.”
3. It has substance
Let’s take the rose gold model with the chocolate dial, my favorite: its case and bracelet, with its large central links framed by thin double gadroon links, are made of precious metal. And nobody had the bad taste to hollow out the links to make the model lighter. I don’t know its exact weight, but once the watch was secured to my wrist, it took its place naturally. Its weight might be an indicator of its value. This is not a watch that races for thinness: its case is 10.5 mm thick. This made Vincent Daveau, a famous watch columnist, say, “Men of power wear extra-thin watches, women of power want thick watches that have substance.”
4. It has beauty too
What makes us love an object at first sight? It’s hard to put words to a crush. Reading the comments on social networks, I notice that many men don’t seem to understand this model (maybe it’s also a form of jealousy, because this watch is not meant for them). Some of them, who probably don’t understand the times we live in, would have preferred to discover a more “sexy” model. So much the better, in a way: there is nothing worse than consensuality when it comes to taste. During one second, I thought about escaping with it, that evening. One second only. Thierry Stern noted my admiring glance on this watch. “At Patek Philippe, we are 2,600 people engaged in a race for beauty says. This is our strength.”
