Patek Philippe 5164A

5164A-001 Aquanaut Self Winding

Brand: Patek Philippe
Reference: 5164A-001
Year: 2024
Condition: Brand New
Movement: Automatic
Case Size: 40.8mm
Complication: Travel Time
Box: Yes
Papers: Yes

Description: The 5164A is where the Aquanaut became serious. Previously seen as the little brother to the Nautilus, when this Travel Time hit the catalog in 2011, the Aquanaut really announced itself as something all its own. Since then, this dual time-equipped Aquanaut has popped up in the Talking Watches of both John Mayer and Keegan Allen. Ben Clymer and James Stacy both gushed over the reference in In Depth and Hands On articles respectively. That's not too shabby a list of admirers around here.

The first Aquanaut to feature a complication, the reference 5164 Travel Time has come to represent one of the subtlest flexes in the Patek Philippe catalog. For the customer who wants a Patek but would rather not come off as expected and predictable, the Aquanaut Travel Time feels like the best option. The second-timezone function is shown via a fourth hand and two apertures on the dial that indicate whether you are reading local or home time. The GMT hand is independently adjustable via the pushers on the left hand-side of the case, making setting as easy as any travel time watch on the market.

The original Aquanauts came in at approximately 36 or 38mm but the 5167A bumps up the sizing to 40mm, 40.8mm to be exact, and made a few tweaks to the overall aesthetic that somehow make the already modern Patek design all the more contemporary. They didn't name it the Aquanaut for nothing. The strap is rubber (well, "Tropical" composite if you ask Patek) as the watch features 120m of water resistance with a screw-down crown. Finished off by an Aquanaut double deployant clasp, the feel on the wrist is, as James Stacy sees it, " a heady mix of sporty Aquanaut design language, outright legibility, and a wrist presence that I would dare to call perfect."

The self-winding caliber 324 S C FUS ticking inside was developed for and released inside of the 5164A in 2011. The base caliber 324 S C is the same you will find in the time-only Aquanaut ref. 5167 but also in a whole host of Patek pieces at escalating price points. From the Nautilus to the Calatrava to the Twenty-4 Automatic, this is an extremely important movement to the brand. Of course, the Travel Time equipped 324 S C FUS is made visible via an exhibition caseback where you can marvel at what real case finishing actually looks like.

WATCH
Self-winding mechanical movement. Caliber 26‑330 S C FUS. Aquanaut Travel Time. Dual time zone mechanism indicating local and home time. Local and home day/night indications in apertures. Local date by hand. Sweep seconds hand.

DIAL
Black embossed dial.

CASE
Steel. Screw-down crown. Sapphire crystal case back. Water-resistant to 120 m. Case diameter (10-4 o'clock): 40.8 mm. Height: 10.2 mm.

STRAP
Black polymer material. Aquanaut fold-over clasp.