Probably the most successful watchmaking firm in the world Patek Philippe was founded in 1839 (Geneva , Switzerland ) by 2 polish émigrés - Antoni Patek (sometimes also referred to as Antoine Norbert de Patek) and Franciszek Czapek, naturalised Pole of Czech origin.

During the first couple of years Patek and Czapek run the company alone; they bought unfinished ebauches, have them cased and finished them in their shop but later decided to hire additional craftsmen to speed up the production process. In about 1844 Patek, whose relationship with Czapek was already bitter over some business considerations, met a young inventor by the name Adrien Philippe. Patek became interested in his new invention, keyless winding mechanism, for which Phillipe received a gold medal at the Industry Product Exhibition in Paris . Patek, being a shrewd businessman sensed a good opportunity to change the company fortunes, decided to part-company with Czapek and employed Phillipe as a head foreman who soon become partner in the company.

In 1845 an agreement between Patek, Philippe and financial backer Vincent Gostkowski was signed (Gostkowski's partnership rights were later terminated) Each received 1/3 of the company profits with Patek being responsible for company directions, Phillipe for watchmaking and Gostkowski for accounting. Only Patek though could make company executive decisions. From 1845 to 1850 watches made by the company were signed Patek & Co. Afterwards, for a period of time, the watches were signed with letters PP. Up until around 1850 the company used blank ebauches from firms like Piguet, Le Coultre, Audemars, Vacheron & Constantin to name the few. In 1850 Philippe bought new machinery, which enabled the company to make their own ebauches.

In 1851 the fortunes of Patek Philippe changed when during Universal Exhibition, Queen Victoria purchased a small lady's watch, which did not require a key for winding or setting. Patek became instantly the talk of town and his firm gained fame and prestige. That year the company changed it's name to Patek Philippe & Co. The rest is a history. Antoni Patek died in 1877. The company remained in the hands of Philippe's family up until 1930. The Great Depression forced the sale of the company and in 1932 brothers Charles and Jean Stern, owners of the Fabrique de Cedrans Sterns Frères, purchased the firm. Today Patek Phillipe remains under the control of Stern family. The factory on the shores of the Geneva Lake, which for over 150 years has produced the famous watches, has re-located its workshops to Plan-les-Ouates, a small village southwest of the city.