Mark Hearn, the architect of Patek Philippe’s stratospheric rise in the UK, has sadly passed away.
He had been battling Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) since 2016, originally diagnosed as Parkinson’s Disease as the early symptoms are very similar.
With the support of his wife Corinne and his three children Christophe, Clarissa & Guillaume, Mr Hearn helped raise funds for charities supporting people with the condition as recently as 2019.
Speaking in January, 2019, ahead of a 24 hour tennis marathon that raised £60,000 for his local Parkinson’s Support Group, Mr Hearn said: “Three years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease which came as a complete shock to my system. The secret is to surround yourself with people who understand the challenges that present themselves to you, and this is where my local Parkinson’s Support Group is invaluable.”
Mr Hearn was presented with a WATCHPRO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 after three decades as a leader in the British watch industry, first with Zenith, which he led for almost 12 years from 1988 and then as managing director of Patek Philippe UK, a company he joined in 2000.
When he joined Patek Philippe’s UK distributor Rhone Products in 2000, the company had a team of just eight people generating sales of £7.5 million.
Within 20 years, the Patek Philippe UK business increased sales to over £176 million.
He was truly a force to be reckoned with and will be missed in the watch world.
Mr Hearn was presented with a WATCHPRO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 after three decades as a leader in the British watch industry, first with Zenith, which he led for almost 12 years from 1988 and then as managing director of Patek Philippe UK, a company he joined in 2000.
When he joined Patek Philippe’s UK distributor Rhone Products in 2000, the company had a team of just eight people generating sales of £7.5 million.
Within 20 years, the Patek Philippe UK business increased sales to over £176 million and had a team of over 80.
Mr Hearn retired as managing director at the end of 2019, handing over to Adrian Lurshay while maintaining a position as chairman of the operation.
Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern paid tribute to Mr Hearn’s contribution as the retirement was announced.
“We all agree that it has been a privilege to work with Mark for almost 20 years. When he joined the company in 2000, there were eight members of staff and today approximately 80. Due to his hard work and commitment to develop Patek Philippe in the UK, the company is now established as one of the brand leaders in the country, an achievement that we will always be proud of,” Mr Stern said.
“Mark’s loyalty and passion for the company reflects not only in his strong and long standing relationship with our retailers, but also business partners, the media and his team. As Mark says, the success of the company is a combination of hard work, strong focus on customer service and personal relationships, a formula that he and the UK team have been applying with excellence,” he added.
