Patek Philippe Museum comes to Singapore

On 16th July 2002, The Hour Glass Singapore, in conjunction with Geneva Master Time (Patek Distributor in Singapore), invited their prime customers to an evening of fine dining at the Equinox Private Dining Room. The Invitation Card

Situated at the highest (69th) Floor of the Swissotel the Stamford (once the tallest hotel in the world, but now the honour goes to the Grand Hyatt Shanghai), the Equinox is the venue for many top functions held in Singapore. Co-hosted by Patek Philippe/Geneva Master Time and The Hour Glass, one of the premier watch retailers in the world, local watch nuts were honored to be included on the guest list. Mr. Henry Tay, Executive Chairman of The Hour Glass The event was attended by many avid collectors; amongst them the shakers and movers of the Singapore financial circles. Two of the invited guests At the reception cocktail, guests were treated to the display of the near complete range of Patek models (in current production), among them complicated pieces like Patek 5136 Perpetual Calendar, 3970 Perpetual Chrono and the amazing 5102 Sky Moon Celestial. In the usual friendly Hour Glass style, the watches can be passed around for individual viewing whilst guests enjoy a free flow of Champagne and other fine wine. One of the many watch displays Just after 20 00 hrs, Mr. Michael Tay, the Business re-engineering manager of The Hour Glass, rang the bell signalling the beginning of dinner, but not until after the Welcome Address by Dr. Kenny Chan, the new COO of the Hour Glass Limited and Mr. Dirk Paulsen, the Director of Geneva Master Time Pte., Ltd. COO of The Hour Glass, Mr. Kenny Chan on the left, with 2 invited guests I was fortunate enough to be seated next to Mr. Martin Parker, Patek's International Customer Service Director, for the duration of the dinner, and I must say that I am impressed with his grasp of issues currently affecting Patek collectors and dealers alike. Professionally, Mr. Parker has been in the Watch and Jewellery trade since leaving University in 1983. His career began with Watches of Switzerland in Bond Street, London, where he quickly progressed to become Customer Service Manager for all London branches, working from the latest Knightsbridge flagship store. Mr. Martin Parker, Patek Philippe Geneve, International Customer Service Director In 1989, he joined Cartier as Customer Service Manager for the United Kingdom, again based in Bond Street, London. Following a promotion to international Coordinator for Interdica, the central office for Cartier International Service, a transfer to Switzerland was agreed in 1992. His main responsibility was to assist and coordinate all aspects of Cartier International Service Centres around the world. Given his passion for watches and personal ambition, Mr. Parker joined Patek Philippe Geneva as after Sales Service Director in February 1997, remaining within the luxury goods sector, but focusing on Customer Service for what are considered the finest watches in the world. Programme for the night and the dinner menu Mr. Parker is responsible for all aspects of Customer Service, and has a direct team of over 50 people based in Geneva, covering all commercial and technical Service responsibilities, as well as technical training. We touched on many subjects, and received good advice, guidance and information on the company. For example, I asked for the long awaited inhouse Chronograph movement and was treated to a coy, indirectly phrased answer that it will be completed sooner, rather than later. (Yes!). Personally, I feel that the Patek leather straps have 2 problems, namely, the rapid condition wear-off in our hot and humid weather and the design not being strong enough to support heavier Patek pieces. Martin assured me that by end of this year, this will be a problem of the past. In short, Mr. Parker has an answer to everything and I decided not to continue to nag him! Ms. Pamela Cloutier, Patek Philippe Geneve, Area Director, Americas & Asia-Pacific. At around 21 30 hrs, Martin and Mrs. Pamela Cloutier, the Area Sales Director (Americas and Asia Pacific) of Patek started a mesmerizing presentation on the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. The 2 senior executives from Patek guided the guests through the history of watchmaking in Geneva, The History of Patek, current Patek production and most importantly, the amazing collection of watches in the Patek Museum. Guests around me were impressed by the presentation; some guests close by commented that they liked Patek's generosity in touching on the general history of Geneva watchmaking. I reminded them that the actual exhibits at the Patek Museum also pay tribute to many other Geneva watchmakers. Mr. Michael Tay, The Hour Glass, Business Re-engineering Manager Michael was also kind enough to visit our table to talk about watches. He showed us his personal yet-to-be identified antique Patek Pocket Watch. The guests at our table got excited yet again, but we gradually shifted our discussion from watches in general to other equally interesting topics. I like Michael Tay a lot as a friend. If his father Henry Tay (Executive Chairman of The Hour Glass) is worried about him being spoiled by the good life, he worries unnecessarily. Since joining the company in 1999, he has re-engineered The Hour Glass completely to one of the most elite watch retailers in Singapore, and one which high-end collectors are comfortable with. I have been a watch hobbyist since 1989, and I must say that, since 1999, The Hour Glass has been steadily improving professionalism in handling high-end customers. To me, the positive transformation to this Retail Chain has been amazing! By around 23 00 hrs, the dinner came to an end, but a small group of us watch nuts remained chatting away about Patek and watches. I met Ms. Pamela Cloutier personally for the first time, and I was more than impressed with her competency, her jovial outlook and her professionalism. Guests appreciating Patek Watches. Ms. Cloutier is an American citizen, but having lived in Geneva for most of her life, she has traveled widely and is multi-cultured and multi-lingual (English, French, German.) Professionally, Mrs. Cloutier has been in marketing and sales of consumer products since her career began in 1981. She has worked in the Swiss Watch industry for the past 20 years. In October 1991, she joined Patek Philippe as Area Director for the Americas and, since February 1999, for Asia and the Pacific region as well. She is responsible in areas of sales and marketing, strategic planning, and business development. Mr. Michael Tay, on the left with invited guests. Mrs. Cloutier was responsible for introducing the excellent Patek Philippe magazine and co-managing its development and launch. She was also responsible for managing the development of the Patek Philippe web site (http://www.patek.com) and co-managing it during its launch and early phase. From Left to Right, Michael Tay, Ms. Pamela Cloutier & Mr. Martin Parker. Overall, it was a fun night, as we got to see great watches, talked to the charming Ms. Cloutier, and the jovial Mr. Parker. I left the venue feeling positive about the company, their watches and getting to catch up with the ever-busy Mr. Michael Tay. Regards Jaw ThePuristS Patek Philippe discussion forum Comments, suggestions, and corrections to this article are welcomed. Please e-mail comments or sign the guestbook. Copyright July 2002 - "Jaw" and ThePuristS.com - all rights reserved