Two veterans of the Swiss luxury watchmaking industry, Henri Stern and Jacques-Louis Audemars, have died.
Stern, former longtime president of Patek Philippe who developed its U.S. market and international network, died Sept. 21 in Geneva, Switzerland. He was 91.
In 1937, the company sent him to New York City to develop U.S. distribution. He established The Henri Stern Watch Agency—Patek Philippe's first foreign distributor and still the brand's American distributor—and built up the brand's U.S. business. In 1958, he returned to Geneva, the company headquarters, to become president and managing director, overseeing the luxury watch brand's worldwide growth. That same year, he also became sole owner of the family company.
Audemars, longtime chairman of Audemars Piguet and grandson of its co-founder, died Oct. 6 in Geneva, Switzerland. He was 91.
Audemars entered the business in