Patek Philippe Neptune

Patek Philippe made a fantastic, stainless steel sports watch — and we're not talking about the Aquanaut or the Nautilus.    The Patek Philippe Neptune has long been under-appreciated since its debut in 1996. Both it and the Aquanaut (which also came out in 1996) served as alternatives to the popular Nautilus, and were meant to inject some life and energy to the the maison's sports watch collection. The Neptune in its multiple iterations featured its own unique design language, with its round case equipped with crown guards, svelte proportions, and an excellent integrated multi-link bracelet.   This piece, a Reference 4881/1J-012, features a 27mm 18K yellow gold case with signature crown guards, a signed crown, a sapphire crystal, and a stunning fluted bezel with lumed hour markers. Its dial, meanwhile, flaunts a date window at 3 o'clock, a luminous feuille handset, and an outer minute track.   Powered by a quartz E19C movement, this piece comes paired to a beautiful yellow gold matching bracelet with the Neptune finishing motif carried straight through from the bezel.   Instantly recognizable to those who appreciate the quirkier corners of the Patek oeuvre, the Neptune is almost certainly a future classic. Heck — in our books, it already belongs in a [design] museum!