Fra Wikipedia.
"The Stern family of Switzerland has owned Patek Philippe since 1932, when Charles Stern and Jean Stern acquired the company during the
Great Depression. The Stern brothers' company,
Fabrique de Cadrans Sterns Frères, had been a business partner of Patek Philippe as its supplier of watch dials."
"In 1932, Patek Philippe launched the first Calatrava model Ref. 96, which was designed by English horologist David Penney who was influenced by the
Bauhaus art movement in Germany. Originally, the Stern brothers, soon after they acquired Patek Philippe in 1932, introduced the Calatrava to help the company pass through the
Great Depression smoothly.
The original Calatrava Ref. 96 was in production for more than 40 years, and its successor models include Ref. 2526, Ref. 3520, Ref. 5196 and so on. Known for its simple and elegant design, the Calatrava wristwatch has been a flagship model of Patek Philippe since its introduction. Notably, the
Calatrava Cross has been company's logo since 1887."
"In 1976, Patek Philippe introduced the Nautilus collection after deciding it was time to produce an exclusive sport watch with finishes of the highest quality. The first model was Ref. 3700 and was made of steel. It was designed by Swiss watchmaker
Gérald Genta, who previously designed the Royal Oak collection for
Audemars Piguet, and was released by Patek Philippe during the
quartz crisis in the hope that it would help re-attract people's attention to high-end Swiss mechanical watches."
"The Nautilus collection played a key role in Patek Philippe's overall marketing strategy as it had to refresh the brand image while perpetuating tradition. The target was represented by dynamic business managers of the new generations. The Nautilus wristwatch has become one of the most popular collections from Patek Philippe, and the Ref. 5711 & 5712 models, which the company introduced in 2006 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the collection, are among the most popular models."
Vi har tydelige fellestrekk i Stern historie.
Tallskive selskapet overtar PP gjennom den store depresjonens tid.
-Flagship modellen Calatrava er skapt i 1932 av D. Penney for å berge PP fra depresjonens tid: det fungerer.
-Flagship modellen Nautilus er skapt i 1976 av G. Genta for å berge PP fra kvartskrisen: det fungerer.
Det ser ut som selskapet har inntil nå overlevde de verste krisene med andre folk sin design/inspirasjon.
Altså ikke helt på egenhånd.
Kanskje Thierry Stern hadde gjort det bedre ved holde seg på å tegne en ny tallskive?