I once asked Mark Hearn if he could pick any watch that wasn’t a Patek Philippe, what would it be? He paused for a long while, scratching his head, looking somewhat pained. “Can I say a secondhand Patek?” he replied with a totally straight face. There are genuinely few people who show such unwavering dedication to the brand and company for which they work.
In 2000, Mark became Patek Philippe managing director for the British market. At the time there were just six full-time staff. Over the past 18 years, Mark has built this team up to 75 – including 25 based at the Patek Philippe salon. He’s also grown a relatively small UK market to one of the world’s biggest markets for the brand.
Mark Hearn has grown a relatively small UK market to one of the world’s biggest markets for Patek Philippe
The crowning glory of his tenure has to be the Grand Exhibition in London. The largest exhibition the brand has ever held, there were 400 exhibits shown throughout 21 themed rooms. Saatchi Gallery workers were amazed at some of the largest queues they’d seen outside their doors; more than 40,000 visitors enjoyed the exhibition.
Adrian Lurshay, brand director of Patek Philippe, has worked with Mark for almost two decades: “Mark is a very driven man – he never stops and never gives up. If he has an idea, he will achieve it. He’s always rushing from one meeting to another as he crams so much into his day. But he’s still extremely focussed – and always, always on time.”
Find out the other winners of the Square Mile Watch Awards 2018
