Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164A

In 1997 Patek Philippe introduced the Aquanaut, this milestone marked the first time the brand would sell a watch fitted on a rubber strap. The Patek Philippe Aquanaut blends in a few design cues from the Patek Nautilus line, it thought that the collection was essentially created to lure in an entirely new generation of collectors. The very first Aquanaut’s measured just 36mm in diameter and was limited to 1000 pieces in both ref. 5060A and ref. 5060J. This example, the 5164A, is the ultimate travellers watch, the GMT, along with the day-night indicators can be set rather quickly and efficiently.

Despite its similarities to the Nautilus the Aquanaut possesses distinctively different features such as the case, dial, and strap. The satin-brushed finished case with alternating highly polished as well as bevelled edges was rather unique, the construction of the three-piece case is entirely different from its predecessor or sibling, the Nautilus. The screw-down crown also allowed for water resistance for up to 120 meters. The dial can be compared to Swiss Chocolate bars the interplay with the strap texture was rather unique and is still present to date.

The 5164A

This example, the ref. 5164A-001 was launched in 2014 and forms part of the first Aquanaut to house a complication. It features a secondary time zone function, displayed through the hollow hour hand, and in the form of two apertures at three and nine o’clock. The two buttons found on the left-hand case flank can be used to move the local-time hour hand forward or backward in one-hour increments. The date function sub-dial found at six o’clock is linked to the local (home) time indication. The clever approach to elegantly ‘hide’ the second time zone hand under the local time zone hand, when not used, allows for an uninterrupted view of the dial.

The fumeé-like slate grey embossed dial features white gold applied numerals with luminescent coating, the black rubber strap complements the dial wonderfully, in addition, the stainless steel butterfly clasp provides for extreme comfort.

The movement

The Aquanaut Travel Time is equipped with a caliber 324 S C FUS self-winding movement, characterized by an ingenious and exclusive mechanism, in a form of a module, that simultaneously displays the time in two different time zones. The caliber beats at 4hz for improved accuracy. Remarkably, while the time is being adjusted, the hour hand displaying local time is disconnected from the movement so that the accuracy of the minute and seconds hands is not compromised.

The Set

This Patek Philippe 5164A-001 is accompanied by its Certificate of Origin, which confirms its sale in 2019. It comes with its original inner and outer Patek Philippe boxes.

Brand: Patek Philippe

Model: 5164A-001

Movement: 324 S C FUS, self-winding movement

Case Diameter: 40.8mm / Stainless Steel 

Year: 2019 (sold)

Box and Papers: Full Set.