Cover Patek Philippe Burano pocket watch, Ref. 992/193J-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
Patek Philippe Burano pocket watch, Ref. 992/193J-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
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Patek Philippe’s seventh Watch Art Grand Exhibition opens at the Palazzo delle Scintille this October, with unique Rare Handcrafts pieces, museum treasures and the promise of new limited editions
Patek Philippe will stage its largest exhibition to date in Milan this autumn, with the Watch Art Grand Exhibition running from October 2 to 18, 2026 at the Palazzo delle Scintille, newly renamed the CityOval, in the city’s CityLife district. The seventh edition of the manufacture’s travelling public exhibition, and the first in Italy, will occupy over 30,000 sqft beneath the building’s 30-metre dome, bringing together 500 timepieces and objects across 15 themed areas. Admission, as with previous editions, is free.
The choice of Milan is a deliberate one. Italy ranks among Patek Philippe’s leading historical markets, home to collectors with a long appreciation for rare handcrafts and complicated watchmaking. Since the Grand Exhibition concept launched in Dubai in 2012, editions in Munich, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo have drawn a combined 165,000 visitors, each staging growing in ambition. Milan will surpass them all in scale, recreating the brand’s Geneva landmarks, from the historic Rue du Rhône headquarters to the Plan-les-Ouates manufacture and the Patek Philippe Museum.
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Above Patek Philippe Burano pocket watch, Ref. 992/193J-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
Above Patek Philippe Burano pocket watch, Ref. 992/193J-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
Patek Philippe Burano pocket watch, Ref. 992/193J-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
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Ahead of the opening, the manufacture has revealed two unique pieces from a dedicated Rare Handcrafts collection of 27 timepieces. The Burano pocket watch, Ref. 992/193J-001, pays tribute to the Venetian island famed for its brightly painted houses and lacemaking tradition. Executed in yellow gold, its case back combines guilloché waves with cloisonné enamelling in 70 colours, while the paillonné technique embeds gold and silver leaf beneath the enamel to capture reflections on the water. The watch comes with a yellow gold stand set with 108 spinels and 102 sapphires, resting on a blue quartz base.
The second piece, the Sicilian Oranges dome table clock, Ref. 20179M-001, renders orange trees against a miniature painted view of Palermo in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel. The enameller used 15 metres of gold wire to outline the trees and fruit, drawing on a palette of 49 enamel colours, with each plate fired between nine and 11 times at temperatures of up to 910 degrees Celsius.
More than 90 pieces from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva will also travel to Milan, several selected specifically for the Italian audience. Among them are the 1897 pocket watch of King Umberto I of Savoy, its case back enamelled with the monarch’s coat of arms and set with rose-cut diamonds, and a circa 1830 pocket watch made for the Italian market, its cover decorated with a champlevé enamel map of northern Italy. The 1948 World Time Ref. 1415 HU in rose gold completes the trio.
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Above Patek Philippe Sicilian Oranges dome table clock, Ref. 20179M-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
Above Patek Philippe Sicilian Oranges dome table clock, Ref. 20179M-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
Patek Philippe Sicilian Oranges dome table clock, Ref. 20179M-001 (Photo: courtesy of Patek Philippe)
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Collectors will also find the manufacture’s three most complicated creations, the Calibre 89, the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175 and the Star Caliber 2000, gathered in a dedicated Super Complications room, alongside a Master of Sound space devoted to chiming watches and live demonstrations by master watchmakers and artisans.
True to form, the exhibition will be accompanied by the launch of limited editions across every segment of the collection, details of which remain under wraps.
As the Regional Editor for Watches and Jewellery and Editorial Content Lead for Tatler GMT, Amrita Katara specialises in luxury watch and jewellery coverage across Asia, with expertise in editorial strategy, feature writing and interviews with industry leaders. Her past roles span luxury lifestyle media and client partnerships. Based in Mumbai, Amrita’s work bridges global trends and Asian market insights.
