A Trip to Geneva with Hannah Dare

I recently had the privilege of visiting Geneva as part of my ongoing Patek Philippe training that I have been completing over the last three years. Step Four, also referred to as the ‘Experience’ is a four-day period designed to reward participants for their commitment to the brand. This unique opportunity in Switzerland aims to deepen our technical knowledge and reinforce what we've learned in earlier stages. This experience is something that I have been excited about since the beginning of my Patek Philippe training. It has also been a common conversation with clients in store, who have been eager to know about my growing knowledge with each step of the journey.

Day One

The first day of the experience was based on Heritage. Our introduction took place at the Salon, where we were presented with Grand Complication minute repeaters. This was my first-time seeing minute repeaters and hearing the chimes in person. Rich in history, the Salon tells the story of Patek Philippe. Something I found quite emotional was looking at the same view where generations of watchmakers once worked. Later, we visited the Museum. It was astonishing seeing models that I have only ever read about. Something I found interesting was how the current collection still plays homage to original models. It is evident that certain designs – dials, fonts and case shapes have been passed down through collections.

Day Three

The third day was based on exterior watch components. We started with a presentation from the creative design team. I was fascinated by the sketchbooks of Patek Philippe's Head Designer, Mrs Corazza. She shared with us her past drawings from years ago and we saw some of the current models sketched for the first time. She mentioned to me that most of the time she draws in coffee shops, and we laughed about how some potential great designs may have been ruined by spilled coffee.

We visited the Cadrans Fluckiger dial factory in the afternoon where we were shown rare handcraft skills – including enameling and guilloché. The guilloché machine they use is a century old. Despite receiving a new one a few years back, the watchmakers prefer to use the traditional tools, leaving the new machine untouched.

This experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity. At the end of the session, we were asked to share one word to describe our week with Patek Philippe. I said “passion.” Every watchmaker, guide, organiser, and trainer adored the brand and I felt like this was passed onto us. This passion is something I want to make sure I am expressing to my clients. Being involved in this training reaffirmed my deep respect for the brand and the watch industry as a whole. I feel very honoured that I was given this opportunity, and I look forward to sharing my passion for the Patek Philippe brand with my clients and team members.