Located in Kensington, the Design Museum was the place to be on Wednesday night for the grand opening of the week-long OAK Collection exhibition. An exclusive cocktail event, the horological glitterati were in attendance to witness a sui generis private watch collection. Comprising of 168 'best of the best' vintage and contemporary museum-quality timepieces, it is the first time a collection in private hands of this magnitude has been exhibited at a museum, therefore representing a significant moment in the modern history of horology.
The OAK Collection reflects the four decades-long passion of Mr. Patrick Getreide. It includes a carefully curated edit of the world’s finest timepieces including; unrepeatable special orders, ultra-rare limited editions, the most valuable examples of their type and the largest number of Patek Philippe pieces once owned by the celebrated collector Henry Graves Jnr. – to now be held in private hands.
The exhibition was officially declared open with a traditional ribbon-cutting moment, presented by Mr. Patrick Getreide, the Swiss ambassador Markus Leitner, Tim Marlow CEO & Director of the Design Museum, exhibition curator Nick Foulkes and Lord Peter Mandelson Chairman of the Design Museum.
Guests, many of them friends of The Rake including: Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe, George Bamford and Laurent Feniou, MD of Cartier were entertained by live music from the Italian singer Alessandro Ristori.
