Quote Originally Posted by Brenngun View Post
First let me say that I'm a big fan of mechanical watches. My wife says it's a sickness. I can normally find interest in just about any manufacturers offerings. I would not dispute that Patek makes quality watches. I've owned 2 of them in my 40+ years of watch collecting. I fully enjoyed both of them. Having said that I would like to talk a bit more about Patek and their apparent lack of use for the COSC.

The funny thing about Patek is that they never seem to have use for any standards institution that doesn't primarily support Patek and their product only. Back in 2009 they announced at Baselworld that they would no longer submit their movements for inspection by the Geneva Seal Bureau. This was a huge about face after building their business and reputation during the last century by being the biggest user of and strongest supporter of the Poinçon de Genève. Why??

Frankly this happened after some newcomers like Roger Dubuis and Cartier also submitted and were give the Geneva Seal. Their excuse for this abandonment was a denial of their request to make a rate test a mandatory part of the Geneva Seal. For some reason after 100+ years of touting this seal to be the best quality assurance in the world Patek all of a sudden decided it wasn't. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that suddenly they weren't the only kids on the Geneva Seal block. Incidentally the rate test was always an option available to all manufacturers as part of the Geneva Seal. Gee how could Patek not know this? Could it be that they never made that optional request for their watches over the past 100+ years?

May not be the same kind of history as you mentioned with respect to Ball but could be interpreted as a zebra with a different stripe. Or the pot calling the kettle black. Or ..... well you know the rest. You know what they say ....... if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it's a .....
When you are Patek and have the rep as the best factory made watch in the world you can do anything you want and it won't affect your sales.

Much of this COSC and Genève business was contrived to push Swiss watches and give them this exclusivity. So, if they don't want to use it I don't think it reflects on the quality of their watches. The general clientele they sell to probably don't care either.

Like most outfits Patek is not the same outfit they once were. A watchmaker friend of mine decries the fact their watch used to have superior finish on the areas of the mvmt you couldn't see and now they don't. At least they weren't reinvented like most others just the ownership changed
and their production has been continuous over their history.