Antoine Norbert de Patek was born in Poland in 1812, where he joined the Polish First Mounted Rifles Regiment at age sixteen to fight in the Polish-Russian War. In 1831, the Polish uprising was defeated by Russian forces, sending Patek and his compatriates to migrate West. Patek eventually settled in Geneva, Switzerland, where he became enamored with the history of watchmaking and jewelry that pervaded the city. Patek became friendly with Polish watchmaker François Czapek, and in 1839 they formed Patek, Czapek & Cie - Fabricants à Genève.

While the company achieved immediate success, personal disagreements between the pair led to an early split. Patek met watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe at the French Industrial Exposition of 1844 in Paris, and together with Vincent Gostkowski, the new team developed Patek & Cie – Fabricants à Genève.

Philippe at this time had been developing a patent for a mechanism that allowed pocket watches to be wound with a crown as opposed to a key, and brought his innovative technology with him to Patek & Cie. Conversely, Patek was greatly interested in the artistry of the watches, transforming them into beautiful art pieces with engrabing, enameling, and precious stones.

These two men were the originators of what would become one of the longest-standing watch manufacturers in the world, and the Patek Philippe brand remains to this day the last family-owned independent watch manufacturer in Geneva.