For the recently-retired Pope Bendict XVI, it doesn’t look like he was given a Patek Philippe for his service but he did recently receive a Erhard Junghans Tempus Automatic. Maybe Pope Francis will have better luck.

Surely, Patek Philippe must have been on the mind of the overseers of the Catholic church for many years, as the company and the church had mutual admiration for generations. For the watch world, the quest to know the secrets of the Patek archives is not dissimilar to the global fascination with the untold secrets of the Vatican. Could there be some more horological treasure buried deep below the Vatican? Probably. And I'd venture to guess more than a few bear the Calatrava cross of Patek Philippe.