BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
It is with great sadness that we learned of another passing in the watch world recently: that of Patek Philippe’s Honorary President, Philippe Stern, on 14 June 2026.
Philippe’s grandfather, Charles Stern, acquired Patek Philippe in 1932, but his company, Stern Frères, had been supplying the maison for years prior. Philippe’s father, Henri Stern, joined the company in 1935 as a Commercial Director before heading to New York to establish the USA’s exclusive distributor for Patek Philippe watches. Henri was made Chairman in 1958. Philippe joined Patek Philippe’s USA operation in 1963 and, in 1966, returned to Geneva to work at the maison’s headquarters. There, Stern was appointed General Director and presided over the creation of Patek Philippe’s Calibre 89, the company’s 150th birthday present to itself and the most complicated watch ever made when it was released in 1989 (33 complications in total).
Philippe Stern became President of Patek Philippe in 1993 and steered the maison through the aftermath of the Quartz Crisis. He centralised production activities in a new manufacture opened in 1996, although as demand has increased tremendously since then, Patek Philippe does have multiple manufacturers for its watches today. Philippe also created the Patek Philippe Museum in 2001, and in 2009 spearheaded the creation of the Seal of Patek Philippe, which the maison uses to signify the quality of its watches.
Philippe stepped aside in 2009 so that his son, Thierry Stern, could take the reins as Patek Philippe’s president. He continued to work as Honourary President, and in 2023 Thierry Stern unveiled a special piece with the reference 1938P in tribute to his father.
We at WristReview extend our deepest condolences to Philippe’s family, to the family of Patek Philippe, and to all those who knew Philippe.
