hi it's Meg from SwissWatchExpo I love sharing his and hers watches with you I have a great pair
today but before I go into the actual watches I need to give you a little bit of a history
lesson again you know I love Patek Philippe such a fascinating company extraordinary timepieces we
have an incredible selection of them here at SwissWatchExpo as well as our very own Patek
Philippe trained watchmaker to authenticate and service them so it's the best of the best that
you can purchase we have a wonderful selection of them my choice for the his and hers today
though is the very iconic Patek Philippe Gondolo just to give you a little bit of a history lesson
on this not only were Patek Philippe incredible watchmakers and geniuses with respect to their
craftsmanship and the engineering of the watch there were probably some of the finest marketers
in the world in the early 1900s they realized in the Swiss and European markets that they needed
to expand their market and they were looking for other places to go so after a little bit
of research they decided that they would partner with the Brazilian retailer Gondolo and Laboriau
they're extraordinary they were already well known in Brazil in Rio de Janeiro and they Patek
Philippe sent them initially in 1872 a silver pocket watch started a relationship with them
but then in the early 1900s 1910s 1920s a couple things were very fascinating happen Gondolo and
Laboriau also understood the retail genius of exclusivity and they created what was actually
called The Gondolo Gang it was 100 180 of the most successful businessmen in Brazil who were invited
to be a part of this Gondolo gang it's the good old boys club it's the men's club it's been around
a long time it was taking place in Brazil as well and what was fascinating is they partnered with
Patek Philippe and as a symbol of earning your right and your space in this Gondola gang you
were offered the opportunity to wear a very fine Patek Philippe wristwatch so this is where the
gondolo watches came from they're made by Patek Philippe this one I'm going to talk to you about
specifically in a minute but what's interesting is not only was it the first watch collectors
club this 180 successful businessmen but also the other thing they did is kind of interesting
it was really the first known what we would now call layaway payments so let me tell you
a little bit about how that worked so if you're one of those 180 men there was gambling was not
allowed at the time it was very much frowned upon lotteries weren't allowed so they took
these 180 successful businessmen and essentially had a drawing they had a 180 exclusive Gondolo
watches for their club members and the first winner of the drawing got their watch for free
the next 78 members actually were able to buy their watch at a reduced price and make layaway
payments or pay 10 francs a week for 79, 78 weeks and to pay off the balance of the watch over time
then the other 101 members of the club they had the privilege of paying full price for it so but
they were still a part of this very exclusive club I just think it's fascinating a lot of the
retail trends that we still deal with today with payments and exclusivity and being a part of club
all started with the genius between Gondolo and Patek Philippe so the Patek Philippe gondolos
they're not all this shape they're round there are many different shapes but this is probably
the most iconic one stunning double stepped case when you see it you know it's a gondola it's very
recognizable it's extraordinary so this my men's choice for today for his and hers let's be a part
of the boys club it's the Patek Philippe Gondolo 18 karat white gold very elegant white dial
diamonds as well on the dial which I love it's just a elegant dress watch a little bit of that
diamond on the hour markers just the perfect tuxedo watch but you know I'm going to suggest
throw it on with a pair of a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt it's still good to go but I'm not
going to let the girls be left out of the good old boys club we've got a matching watch for her
so this one is also the Patek Philippe gondolo 18 karat white gold what I love about this is
it does have that iconic double stepped down case on it paved with diamonds very
same beautiful white diamond dial but a full 18 karat white gold bracelet so just extraordinary
we're not going to leave the girls out of the boys club we've got one for each of you
beautiful selection I love the pair with other extraordinary watches to show you
give us a call at SwissWatchExpo we'll be happy to share with you more fun history
of our watches that's what we love about them that there's so many stories to tell but most
importantly we have an extraordinary selection to show you give us a call