What is your thought process when you buy a luxury timepiece? If part of the purchasing decision is influenced by the fact that you would one day like to pass it on to your progeny, you have Patek Philippe to thank for provoking that idea.

 It was their Generations campaign, launched exactly 20 years ago in 1996, that encouraged collectors: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”

Conceived by London-based ad agency Leagas Delaney, the campaign was a departure from the watch ads of that time. It evoked a multitude of emotions, playing up the bonds between father and son, mother and daughter. You were not merely buying a Patek, but a lifestyle, a security investment into the future of the people you loved the most—your children.

It is telling of the campaign’s success as the slogan continues to feature in Patek’s ads to date, even as buzzwords such as native and guerilla advertising become more prevalent. The Swiss watchmaker has enlisted the expertise of such prominent photographers as Peter Lindbergh and Robert Wyatt to shoot their campaigns, with each photograph showcasing an endearing moment between parent and child. 

So when your kids inherit that exquisite minute repeater that withstands the test of time, they know now whom to thank—you of course, and Patek Phillipe too.