Patek Philippe Aquanaut

The Aquanaut may be one of the most important modern luxury sport watches on the market.  The Reference 5060J, launched in 1996 for the 20th anniversary of the Nautilus, was a kind of transitional watch. Borrowing features from the Nautilus but doing away with the famed case “ears” of that porthole-inspired model and adding lugs, it provided the basis for the Reference 5060A in 1997, the first model to bear the Aquanaut name. This model would go on to form the basis of a full collection of luxury sports watches that provided the entry point into the Patek Philippe catalog. This example, a Reference 5066A-001, features a 36mm stainless steel case with a satin brushed bezel hood, a sapphire crystal, signed screw-down crown aiding in its 120 meters of water resistance and a sapphire exhibition caseback framing a picture perfect Patek Philippe Calibre 330 automatic movement. Shaded in an anthracite grey, the luminous dial features printed Arabic indices, a matching stick handset, a date indicator at 3 o’clock, and the collection's signature embossed design. Outfitted with a taupe, textured rubber strap finished with a steel double-deployant clasp, this demure piece wears like any proper midsize sports watch should — balanced and unobtrusively awesome. In excellent condition throughout, this piece has developed a lovely dial patina providing a fantastic balance of vintage charisma and steel sports watch durability — it is an Aquanaut after all. There’s nothing quite like a 5066A Aquanaut. It’s easy-wearing. It has an incredible amount of pedigree. It’s as close to perfect as it gets.