Inter eager to continue with Inzaghi if he wants to, says club chief
Inter Milan are keen to continue with manager Simone Inzaghi if he wants to stay, club president Giuseppe Marotta said, adding that Saturday's 5-0 loss to Paris St Germain in the Champions League final would not be a factor in their decision-making.
Luis Enrique's PSG claimed their first Champions League title with the biggest winning margin in a final, while a distraught Inzaghi suffered his second defeat at this stage, two years after losing narrowly to Manchester City in Istanbul.
Inzaghi's contract with Inter expires in June next year, and Marotta confirmed that talks with the coach will begin in the coming days. Italian media speculate he could leave this month ahead of the June 14–July 13 Club World Cup in the U.S.
"This defeat will not have an impact. Inzaghi has a contract for another year and we had already decided to meet with him this week," Marotta told reporters after the defeat in Munich.
"Almost all the credit for this positive cycle is due to his professionalism and abilities. If he wants to continue, we are happy.
"We are meeting with the coach because this club is not used to letting a manager go into the final year of his contract. There is no revolution underway. We will meet to hear what he has to say, I repeat, on our part, we are very proud and honoured to continue with him."
Marotta congratulated the champions and agreed that Inter were vastly outclassed by the Parisians. "Let's quickly forget and look to the next one, with the new start of the Club World Cup," he added. "We will be representing Italy together with Juventus."
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But more importantly, it allows us, as a family, to transmit the DNA of the brand and to set the limits of how far we can go. This understanding of when to push boundaries and when to hold back only comes with experience. My father taught me that, and now I'm passing it on to my sons, Adrien and Tristan. This ability to adapt while maintaining our identity is what distinguishes us because not everyone can do this. A good example is the Reference 6159G Retrograde Perpetual Calendar. Why did I change it? Because I noticed the interest for the white dial version was declining. So, I reimagined it. Today, it features a bold sapphire dial – aggressive, modern, yet still unmistakably Patek Philippe. And it has been a huge success. These decisions are calculated, not accidental. There's a lot of know-how that goes into this reference. The new dial is very expensive and difficult to produce, but we take that on because we know it's worth doing so. Striking a balance between tradition and innovation is what keeps us relevant. After several years of introducing bolder designs, I decided it was time to return to something very traditional: The manual-winding Calatrava with an opaline rose-gilt dial. It was a deliberate move, and collectors are delighted because they haven't seen something like that in years. This experience gives us an edge in a competitive market. I know the product, the trade, and when to take the right kind of risks. Many other brands either go too far – so far that people don't connect with the product – or they don't go far enough, and end up releasing what's essentially the same watch with a different crown or dial colour. That's not innovation. At Patek Philippe, we innovate meaningfully, whether that's through bold aesthetics or technical mastery, like this year's Reference 5308, a grand complication with a blue dial. Was it a risk to move away from the traditional look? Perhaps. But it works – it's striking, legible, and well-balanced – hallmarks of what we stand for. Of course, the movement remains essential. People know our reputation for mechanical excellence. That's a core part of our identity, and we protect it carefully. To ensure this legacy continues, I've begun involving Adrien and his brother in design meetings. Even if they're just observing for now, it's important that they listen, absorb, and start forming their own perspectives. That knowledge stays with you. Looking to the future, what do you see as the next frontier in terms of technology, artistry, or philosophy? I believe one of the key frontiers is technology, specifically in materials. Not in terms of design aesthetics, but in how new materials can enhance the precision and reliability of movements. There's tremendous potential for evolution in this area. At Patek Philippe, we already have many exciting ideas for new movements. The concepts are there – some are already on paper – but at the moment, the tools, machines, and materials needed to actually produce them don't yet exist. That's why staying at the forefront of technology is so important. It enables us to bring those innovations to life when the time is right. What makes us unique is our ability to combine traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. I have watchmakers who work exactly as they did 100 years ago – step by step, by hand – and I also have state-of-the-art equipment in the same building. That balance is essential. Without this mix, we wouldn't be able to evolve or meet our current level of production. Producing 72,000 watches a year, all at the same uncompromising standard of quality, is a great challenge. Compared to some other brands, that number might seem modest, but at our level of craftsmanship, it's a major achievement. And if we were doing it entirely by hand, it simply wouldn't be possible to maintain that consistency. We're human after all. Some days we feel great, others not so much, and that affects the quality of manual work. That's why blending human skill with precision technology is so critical in what we do. As the fourth-generation leader of Patek Philippe, how do you see the brand evolving under the next generation of leadership? It's still a bit early to say definitively, as Adrien has only just started, and his younger brother is still finishing university. What's most important is that I'm able to pass on a company that's well-organised and surrounded by truly talented people – that's the real key to success. We're not geniuses, and I don't pretend to be one either. My ideas around design or commercial strategy come from years of experience, but none of it would matter without the people behind the scenes. I couldn't build a single watch on my own. That's why it's essential to pass on not just the brand, but a strong, stable team across all divisions. With that foundation, it's very hard to go wrong. I'm confident in the next generation because they already know many of these people, and they'll learn the rest. If they have the motivation and passion, which I believe they do, then the future is bright. But that passion is essential. You can't run a company like Patek Philippe if you don't love watches or design. People notice right away if your heart isn't in it. My role is to support them when needed, just as my father supported me. They need to grow and take responsibility in their own time. That said, it's just as important to stay grounded. In this industry, there are people who let success go to their heads and walk with their noses in the air. I don't like that. Stay humble. Be kind and polite. Be respectful. That's how you earn respect from others. It's not about instilling fear – real leadership inspires, it doesn't intimidate. I hope my sons will understand and embrace that philosophy. What is the secret to Patek Philippe's success? Our independence is the secret to Patek Philippe's success. We have more than 2,000 people working under one roof in our new factory and that means I can maintain stability within Patek Philippe. I don't have a marketing team from a large group telling me what I can or cannot design. When I design a watch, I don't start with a price in mind. I don't care about that; I just try to make the best timepiece possible. We only calculate the price afterward. Some watches are extremely expensive to produce, and sometimes we have to make two just to get one that meets our standards. That's the level of complexity we're working at. And I always tell our production team: if you can make every single component perfectly on the first try, then it's not a Patek Philippe. We operate at the edge of what's technically possible. That means sometimes we fail and that's okay. It's part of creating something extraordinary. If you're not failing, you're not pushing hard enough. Failure teaches you. It gives you experience. And only with experience can you create a truly exceptional product. If you could design your dream watch with no limitations, what complication or aesthetic would it feature? To be honest, that's what I do every year. I never place limits on what we can design and that's what I love most about my role. But what I love most, perhaps even more than complications, are the pieces from our Rare Handcrafts collection. These are truly special as they represent a centuries-old tradition that we're committed to preserving. It's not something we do for commercial reasons. In fact, these pieces are incredibly expensive to produce, the margins are minimal, and they don't make a significant impact on our overall revenue. But the credibility, pride, and joy they bring to us and to our collectors are immeasurable. When I see the happiness of a client, who receives one of these handcrafted pieces, that's when I know it's all worth it. Each piece is a labour of love, be it an intricately engraved pocket watch or hand-painted dome clock. And I enjoy pushing boundaries with them, experimenting with wood marquetry, enamel work, and miniature painting. Sometimes we create pieces that are so intricate and time-consuming, they should go straight to our museum. But of course, we do make a few available for collectors. Take, for instance, our latest wood marquetry dome clock. It's priced at CHF640,000 (US$778,000; S$1 million) and to be honest, we make almost no profit on it. It took an immense amount of time and effort to develop, and we failed many times before getting it right. Some might say the price is crazy, but in reality, it's fair. Other brands might charge two or three times as much for a similar piece, but I prefer to price it according to the true value of the work. This is a lesson I'm also passing on to Adrien. Yes, it'd be easy to raise prices and take advantage of demand. We could sell every dome clock for half a million, or price the marquetry one at CHF2 million and someone would buy it. But we'd lose our credibility and in the long run, that'd damage Patek Philippe far more. That's why we do things the way we do – why we're still independent, respected by our clients, by our retailers, and even by our competitors. Because in the end, that respect is what truly matters.
