PORTRAIT

PATRICK GETREIDE, THE MAN BEHIND THE WATCHES

Benjamin Teisseire

An historic moment in watchmaking took place on 18 May 2022 at the Design Museum in London: the first exhibition of an exceptional private collection held in a museum. Through the passion and genuine enthusiasm of one man, watchmaking is now publicly acknowledged as an art form in its own right. A meeting with Patrick Getreide, one of the world's greatest collectors and owner of this genuine treasure. His bright blue eyes sparkle with joy. Patrick Getreide is delighted to be here, to share his passion, and to unveil part of his incredible collection, compiled over 40 years. From among the 600 or so watches in his possession, a selection of 163 models was made to create The OAK Collection, an acronym for One-ofA-Kind. So, who is this unknown person offering the public this watchmaking delight? Patrick Getreide answers quite simply: "I am the son of an industrial entrepreneur as well as being an entrepreneur myself. I am multi-faceted. With a good head on your shoulders, you can do anything. The guiding principle is to surround yourself with people who are highly competent in everything you do. That's what led me to this point."

“THIS EXHIBITION IS MY His passion came to life a long time CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS ESTABLISHING WATCHMAKING ago. When he was ten years old, he lived in Switzerland and every morning he would walk past a watch

AS A RECOGNISED ART.“ shop. He dreamed of owning an Omega. He pushed open the door and asked the vendor if he could pay for it gradually with his weekly pocket money of 5 Swiss francs. The shopkeeper agreed. That was 57 years ago! Since then, the thrills keep on coming. "I broke