Presented to the world a few days ago, today the exhibition of the “The Oak Collection” exhibition starts, showing off some of the most incredible One-of-A-Kind watches ever publicly seen.

The installation will be made at the Design Museum in London from 19 to 25 May 2022. Now we tell you what you can discover inside and who is behind such an important private collection.

All photos in the item are the property of Hodinkee.

The exhibition at the Design Museum in London

We do not exaggerate even one iota by saying that this is the most absurd watch exhibition you will see this year. Many of the rarest watches in the world are obviously owned by the brands themselves in their museums, see the Patek Museum, the Omega Museum or the Audemars Piguet Museum.

Seeing a private collection, however, is quite another thing. We saw it in our interview with Sandro Fratini (one of the greatest vintage collectors) and we see it today in The Oak Collection. Each watch has its own story, which is indelibly linked with its owner.

The exhibition is divided into 11 parts, which could be considered as a chapter in the course of Patrick Getreide’s life. Each section has a varied selection of watches, both in terms of brands and in terms of complication. As you can see in the photo below, a very rare Patek Philippe 530 in pink gold signed by the Milanese retailer Gobbi Milano is a perfect example that makes you understand the importance of his collection.

In fact, the collector has a particular passion for Patek Philippe, which, as you can see, counts for most of the pieces on display. However, there is no shortage of independent watchmakers such as the famous François-Paul Journe, Kari Voutilainen or Akrivia. In fact, the exhibition ends with a part dedicated to more contemporary watchmaking, which looks to the future but to the protection of the master watchmakers and all the craftsmanship that distinguishes them.

Who is Patrick Getreide? The man behind The Oak Collection

Patrick Getreide has built this collection over more than 30 years, amassing around 600 watches.

When Ben Clymer of Hodinkee interviewed him asking if he had reached the end of the route he replied “Nono, every auction we go (with the curator of his collection) and see if there are interesting watches to add to the collection”.

However, Mr. Getreide is well aware that to collect this kind of watches also quite important capital is needed and when he talks about his passion he says: “My interest for watches increased with two things: knowledge and money.”

One of the greatest collectors of Henry Graves

If we talk about Patek and add the name of Henry Graves, rest assured that we will talk about mind-boggling watches. This man was an important American banker who lived between 1868 and 1953. In the course of his life he commissioned several important watches, but in particular a challenge arose between him and James Ward Packard, famous industrialist in the automotive sector of the time, who had the most complicated watch.

Patrick Getreide owns 5 watches that belonged to Henry Graves, making The Oak Collection a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all these historic pieces together. In addition to this, he is the private owner with the most Henry Graves watches after the Patek Philippe Museum (chapeau).

Among the highlights of the exhibition is a platinum pocket watch belonging to the ones mentioned above. It is a Patek Tourbillon ordered by Graves in 1932. This same watch won the precision prize at the “Geneva Astronomical Observatory Timing Competition” in 1933-1934, with a score of 874 points.

On the back, opening the platinum cover of the caseback, you can read Patek Philippe’s dedication to Henry Graves, with the Tourbillon number 198311 and the prize won by the watch.

Dates and location of The Oak Collection exhibition

If you are in London you can have the immense pleasure of seeing the exhibition from 19 to 25 May 2022. It will be held at the Design Museum in London, at 224 Kensington High St. The visits are free and open to the public, without the need for reservations. .

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