Patek Philippe clocks young women for 'ladies' range

Patek Philippe, the Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer which has been in business since 1839, is aiming to inspire young upmarket women to put the apocalyptic Covid world to one side and lose themselves in a new timepiece from its Ladies’ Twenty~4 collection.

The range is being backed by a digital campaign devised by Leagas Delaney, “Rituals of My Life”, which centres on showcasing the personal moments that it claims “modern women” go through, even in these turbulent times.

While lesser brands might have baulked at such a strategy, especially given the current doom and gloom and financial hell faced by most of the world, Patek Philippe has never been ashamed of its opulence.

Owned by banking dynasty the Stern family since 1932, it is said that, among the world’s top ten most expensive watches ever sold at auction, seven are from Patek Philippe.

Those who have sported its watches over years include royalty, heads of state, artists and writers, including Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Pius IX, Marie Curie, John F Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Pablo Picasso, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Leo Tolstoy.

Even Albert Einstein was a big fan, and ordered a gold pocket watch from Patek Philippe in 1915, as a pat on the back to himself for completing his theory of General Relativity.

The Leagas Delaney campaign can not boast such glorious figures but does feature a bevvy of seemingly well-heeled young women displaying the watches in various upmarket settings, and concludes with the tagline “Begin your own tradition”.

Led by a series of short films, the activity launches across digital and social platforms this week.

Leagas Delaney co-founder and creative Tim Delaney said: “The brief was to appeal to a younger female audience. By acknowledging a behavioural trend in these women, we were able to create a campaign that is relevant, interesting, and suited to our Twenty~4 woman, Patek Philippe, and their favourite channels.”