PATEK PHILIPPE AQUANAUT 5065

In the 1990s, Patek Philippe saw a plateau of sorts for their famed Nautilus. Though it was still a strong seller, it lost its disruptive momentum that was known to draw younger generations to the brand. Not wanting to lose the intrigue to the upcoming generation of collectors, Patek needed a fresh entry in their line of watches. A piece that captured the Nautilus’ sporty nature while capitalizing on the 1990s trends of casual wear.

Patek’s answer was masterful as it walked the fine line respecting the brand’s heritage but being its most casual watch yet. Dubbed the Aquanaut, Patek ditched the integrated bracelet and brought a first for the brand: the rubber strap. Released in 1996, the first Aquanaut, ref. 5060A, took key design elements from the Nautilus in a not-so-subtle way as it even had the exact same bezel shape.  Patek Philippe decided to strip away elements of the Nautilus and make up for it with the beautifully designed dial which had significant depth to it. From the valleys of its large geometric, guilloché pattern to the peaks of its light lume plots, the early Aquanaut dials capture light creating all different shades and shadows throughout.

While the younger crowd showed a liking to the new design, old collectors weren’t as convinced. This crowd believed they saw through Patek’s designs revealing a low-level scheme to increase profits with a ‘dumbed-down’ Nautilus. But for Patek this was a good sign as they weren’t trying to sell these watches to existing clientele. It was clear the watch was not in line with the standard Patek Philippe design cues, but that’s what the company intended for in the first place. With the smaller, sportier watch, Patek was now confident that the watch would be a fantastic entryway for new clients into the seemingly daunting world of Patek.

An interesting fact, as pointed out by Monochrome Watches here, is that Patek Philippe released an Aquanaut before they actually released an Aquanaut… The Nautilus ref. 5060S would later be shifted to ref. 5060J and is very definitely an Aquanaut with a Nautilus dial and a leather strap instead of a rubber strap. It could be seen as a test of sorts from Patek Philippe, but it seems it would have been a strange one as you wonder why they would conduct the test in yellow gold when they were trying to connect with a younger audience. As you can see in the photo, both of these watches were listed as a Nautilus and the ref. 5060S/J stopped production in 2002.

A year after the Aquanaut was officially born, Patek released the ref. 5064A-001 which was a smaller version of the Aquanaut. This reference was the first Quartz Aquanaut and shifted the date window which ultimately required Patek to remove the 3 o’clock numeral from the dial.

Just two years later, in 1998, Patek Philippe released our personal favorite, the ref. 5065A. Now known as the ‘Jumbo,’ the 38mm case offered a much more substantial wrist presence as the increased size allows you to more easily appreciate the small details. The ref. 5065A also introduced a stainless steel bracelet to the watch which made it much more versatile for those who were looking for one watch to do it all. Overall, the 38mm Aquanaut seems to maintain a wonderful balance that early Aquanauts of other sizes cannot. A year later, Patek introduced the yellow gold version in the ref. 5065J which used yellow gold hour markers as well.

For nearly ten years, the ref. 5065 seemed to be the favorite as its larger size was favored. It wasn’t until 2007 that Patek Philippe updated the Aquanaut line to the ref. 5167 that again increased its size but removed the wonderful details of the guilloché dial, opting for a flat dial that continued the geometric motif through lines instead of proper depth. Though we love the ref. 5167 and ref. 5164 Travel Time that followed soon after, we’ll always love the ref. 5065A most and if you haven’t seen one in person, we’d strongly recommend it! For a chance to own an early piece of the Aquanaut’s short history, scroll up to inquire about our fantastic example.

Image Credit: Monochrome-Watches.com, Patek Philippe, Sothebys.com, Antiquorum-Swiss.com