Watch

Pocket watch in a case. It was made in the shape of a compass. Its lid is decorated with a nielloed floral ornament. From the top, the handle is cylindrical; it is finished with a slightly flattened ball. In addition to the watch, a matching winding key has been preserved. Additionally, a rectangular black case with a slightly convex lid was lined with velvet with the gilded inscription PATEK PHILIPPE & CO A GENEVE. Patek-Philippe-brand watches are considered the best and most expensive in the world. The company was founded in Switzerland by Antoni Norbert Patek and Franciszek Czapek in 1839. Their joint venture manufactured watches with highly precise clockwork to order for, among others, Polish emigrants as well as patriots within the country. These were pocket watches, the casings of which were decorated with miniatures and patriotic or religious inscriptions. In 1845, Czapek began to run his own business, and Patek started working with the French engineer Adrien Phillipe. In 1851, at the London World's Fair, the company was spectacularly successful - it was awarded a gold medal for its products. In addition, the British queen Victoria bought a watch made by Patek Philippe and wore it as a brooch on her dress. This led to a rapid increase in the watches' popularity. The advanced clockwork and the introduction of ever-better patents made the construction of the most complex watches in the world possible.