MILAN – Asked what single question no journalist has thrown at him all day, the man running horology’s most hallowed family firm leans forward and deadpans without missing a beat: “Where are the toilets?”

Thierry Stern lets the laughter subside before adding: “Actually, I thought someone might ask: when will you stop working?”

At 56, the fourth-generation Swiss head of Patek Philippe knows he will eventually have to make room for his two sons. But he has plenty he still wants to do.

“Not now. Definitely not now,” he says.

Speaking to journalists at Patek’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milan 2026 in the Italian city, where historic and contemporary watches share the spotlight with artisans demonstrating their craft, Stern is frank about technology, collectors and succession.

In an era enchanted by algorithms, his core mission is keeping his watchmaking resolutely human.

While happy to let AI sort his paperwork, giving it the keys to his imagination is another matter.

“I am not ready to give half of my shares to a computer,” he says.

“We’ve tried it, played with it. You see many things, but it is not us. It is not my soul, it is not my DNA. Even if it is beautiful, I will not be able to look at you and say we did it.”

For Stern, the exhibition gives visitors something a screen cannot: a close look at the watches and a chance to meet the people who make them.

“People think what they see on their screen is real today. You can see an image while sitting on your couch with an iPad, but you don’t feel it. You don’t talk with the people. Here, your eyes look at reality.”