Quote:
Originally Posted by thomaspp
Correct me if I’m wrong but Patek seal requirements are made up by Patek itself and Geneva seal requirements are actual objective criteria created by a third party.... how can one even compare?
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thats the problem though. Everything i have read basically said that a watch could meet the minimum requirements and get a geneva seal. No special points for exceeding them. That puts a lesser watch on the same level as a superior watch as they have the same seal. VC as a top tier brand dont even have every watch carry a geneva seal, just certain ones. Patek applies the same standard to every single watch. Hardly seems fair when one brand cherrypicks models and one has the same standard for everything.
Plus AFAIK there was no requirement on rate testing of the movement when they left the geneva seal. that might have now changed though as i thought i read something about the geneva seal upping their game after patek left and they changed some things.
from an article...
"The Patek Philippe Seal goes far beyond the requirements for the Geneva Seal and addresses the two major complaints about it: that its criteria deal only with the watch movement and that they are only concerned with movement materials and finishing, not rate performance. In its press release announcing its seal, Patek takes a clear shot at both the Geneva Seal and COSC, Switzerland’s independent chronometer testing body, both of which judge uncased movements, not complete watches.It is indisputable,” Patek Philippe says, “that a hallmark of quality must apply to the whole watch. This fact called for a new seal that defines all competencies and features of relevance to the manufacture, precision, and lifelong maintenance of a Patek Philippe timepiece. The rules apply to all of the manufacture’s movements regardless of their complexity. It not only applies to the movements: it encompasses cases, dials, hands, pushers, spring bars for straps, etc., as well as the aesthetic and functional aspects of finished watches. Moreover, given that a Patek Philippe watch is first and foremost an instrument that measures time, the Patek Philippe Seal makes a binding statement regarding rate accuracy.”
Patek’s technical requirements are stricter than COSC’s. For calibers with diameters of 20 mm or more, the accuracy must be within -3 and +2 seconds per day. For calibers with diameters of less than 20 mm, the accuracy must be within -5 and +4 seconds per day. The requirements for tourbillon watches are even tighter. Patek will perform its rate tests in several phases of the manufacturing process. The final tests are conducted on fully assembled watches.
What’s more, under the terms of its seal, Patek Philippe offers the watch industry’s first promise of lifetime service on the watch. The firm pledges that it will service and restore every watch it has made since its founding in 1839 in Geneva. (The requirements for the Patek Philippe Seal, and other information about it, are available at
www.patek.com.)