The Patek Philippe Ellipse is a stylish and audacious timepiece with a unique appearance. Patek Philippe released this watch in 1968, which makes it one of the longest-running collections in the watchmaker’s entire catalog.

Although lesser known than some of Patek’s most iconic watches, the Golden Ellipse contributed to the evolution of the watchmaking industry back in the 20th century when it was launched. This watch symbolized Patek Philippe's contemporary innovation endeavor thanks to its mind-blowing aesthetics, unique design, and fascinating marketing gimmicks.

The Patek Philippe Ellipse attained an almost-cultivated status and remains a sought-after timepiece in today’s market. In this post, we deeply dive into the history of the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse to understand the different impacts this watch has had on the world of luxury watchmaking.

Convention-defying Ellipse

The Patek Philippe Ellipse is a unique dress watch that breaks all the classical rules of watchmaking. From time immemorial, watches have always been round. Some say the round shape of the watch is meant to demonstrate the cyclical nature of time - which is fitting. But beyond the figurative meaning of the watch shape, a round shape is considered conventional in the horological world, and most watchmakers follow the established pattern. Everyone agrees that a round shape molds perfectly to the wrist, so it naturally became the standard in the horological industry.

For watchmakers of the 19th century (and even today), deviating from the norm was a big risk that could result in either of two outcomes: total oblivion or unprecedented commercial. Most unconventional watches are short-lived, rejected by a market that arbors unusual shapes. But a few that survive often become transcendent icons, with bold shapes that make them stand out from the pack - attaining celebrity status.

But the Patek Philippe brand isn’t one to shy away from challenges. As one of the industry's pioneers, Patek Philippe has had its fair share of unconventional watches even before the Patek Ellipse came along. A good example is the Art-deco-inspired Gondolo, with roots dating back to the 1870s. This unique timepiece created for the South American market became the star of the early 1900s.

Patek Philippe demonstrated this tradition of non-conformity with the Golden Ellipse. Interestingly, the unique shape of this watch wasn’t just born out of a desire to break convention. Instead, it was the product of an attempt to recreate and apply the mechanical formula of “perfect form” to create horological masterpieces.

Known as the Golden Ratio, this ancient mathematical formula has always been the secret to creating aesthetically pleasing artworks. The golden ratio ( 1/1.6181) is visible in various forms and applied to everything from Le Corbusier's architecture to Leonardo Da Vinci’s artworks. This precise mathematical ratio is the secret behind the gorgeous curve of the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse.

Redefining the Dress Watch Category

The need to stay true to the traditional watch form is even truer for the dress watch category, where watches are expected to be as conservative as possible. This meant a simple form-follow-function design with no frills or unnecessary details. Many of the dress watches of the 20th century simply confirmed a circular mold, no questions asked.

The Patek Philippe Ellipse was a unicorn that deviated from that convention. While it still had a simple design and clean aesthetics, the elliptical shape of this watch was unheard of, especially for a dress watch. Interestingly, this design gamble seems to have paid off, and the Golden Ellipse remains an enduring symbol of the dress watch category. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call it an icon.

Although it isn’t as popular as Patek Philippe’s own Calatrava, considered the gold standard in the dress watch category, the Patek Ellipse is still regarded as a classic and an enigmatic symbol of elegance despite its unusual shape.

Tastes change, but the popularity of the Patek Golden Ellipse has endured. Dare I say, the iconic watch is perhaps better appreciated now than ever before. It is widely regarded as a cult classic,c and its timelessness is surely the result of its enigmatic elegance. The thin dress watch stood as a significant counterpoint and held its own against the thick quartz watches dominating the market in the 1970s.

The Watch That Made Blue Dial Cool

Keeping with the non-conformist attitude of this watch, another feature pioneered by the Ellipse long before it became cool is its stunning blue dials. The original Patek Golden Ellipse watches came with a blue sunburst dial, which provided a vibrant alternative to the typical monochrome dia,l which was the norm back in the day. The blue dial and other unconventional colors have become the norm in the luxury watch market today.

The execution of this dial was also quite remarkable. To create the cobalt blue color of the stunning starburst dial, Patek and its dial manufacturer used an innovative method known as vacuum plating. This technique involved placing the 18k gold dial ébauche (the base material for the dial) in a vacuum chamber. A mixture of 24K gold and cobalt was then vaporized in this chamber and condensed onto the dial base to create a distinctive blue-gold hue. The effort indeed paid off, and the dial color was one of the unique selling points of this timepiece.

Precursor to the Luxury Sports Watch Revolution

The Patek Philippe Ellipse’s radical departure from the traditional round watch shape garnered widespread acclaim. The success achieved by this unconventional design may have, in some ways, paved the way for an even bigger horological revolution, this time in the luxury sports watch category.

In the 1970s, just as the fame of the Patek Ellipse was taking off, luxury watchmakers like Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe broke the established norm once again with the release of their oversized, and unconventionally shaped sports watches (the Royal Oak and Nautilus).

With their bold, geometric designs, these watches were completely different from the traditional round watches that were popular at the time. While Gerald Genta, who designed these two watches, took inspiration from an entirely different source, the unconventional shape and unexpected popularity of the Ellipse likely played an indirect role in motivating collectors and enthusiasts to embrace these innovative designs.

The Ellipse's legacy is that it demonstrated that luxury watches could be unconventional and still commercially successful. The willingness of consumers to embrace the unique form of the Ellipse contributed to a broader acceptance of non-traditional aesthetics in the luxury watch market.

Pioneering In-House Development

Aside from the unique design and shape of the Ellipse, another reason why this watch is so important is how the design was created. The Patek Philippe Ellipse was one of the first luxury timepieces conceived, designed, and developed in-house.

While this might not sound remarkable today, it was a notable achievement in the 20th century when this watch was created. Back in the day, the common practice was to commission a watch designer to create the watch's components based on the watchmaker’s brief.

Designing an entirely in-house watch was an entirely novel idea, and the Ellipse was one of the watches that pioneered it. In the following decades, in-house design became popular and has become standard in the horological industry. We can say it is one of the seeds sown by the Golden Ellipse.

Branding & Marketing

Another important way the Patek Philippe Ellipse changed the horological industry was its marketing. When Patek released this watch, the company employed many marketing tactics to push the innovative design, including branding the new timepiece as more than just a watch.

Today, it is standard practice for Patek Philippe and many watchmakers to release new watches with various accompanying accessories such as rings, lighters, cufflinks, tie clips, etc. Patek used this strategy for the first time with the Ellipse. In advertising materials, the Golden Ellipse was advertised as more than just a watch; pictures showed the watch alongside other Ellipse-themed accessories. This branding positioned the watch as more than just a time-telling tool, but a useful accessory and priced jewel.

By creating a thriving ecosystem of affiliated products with the same design language sold alongside the watch, the Golden Ellipse became a brand in its own right. Fortunately, this marketing yielded positive results. By the early 1970s, the Ellipse became a highly sought-after product. People clamored to be part of Patek Philippe’s exclusive circle.

Conclusion

The Patek Philippe Ellipse is a revolutionary and groundbreaking timepiece in many ways. It’s one of the earliest unconventionally shaped watches to achieve widespread market success. Demand for this watch has experienced a new surge in recent years, and it isn’t likely to fade soon despite being in the market for over five decades. The historical significance of The Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse lies in the way it influenced the perception of what was considered a normal watch shape in the horological industry and paved the way for other odd-shaped watches in the decades that followed.