The Patek Philippe Aquanaut needs no introduction. Launched in 1997 to attract a younger crowd, it was priced as an entry-level Patek Philippe made in stainless steel and equipped with a rubber strap. Marketed as a luxury sport watch and as a younger sibling to the Nautilus, it was not exactly loved when it was first released and it was seen as blasphemous to the identity of Patek Philippe. Well, that didn’t last very long. Fast forward to today and it is, without a doubt, one of the hottest offerings from the manufacture.
I am sure all of you would know by now, that perhaps after the Nautilus, the Aquanaut is the hardest model to buy at retail with crazy waitlists. It is no secret that you have to buy many pieces from Patek before they will even let you onto the waitlist. What you may not know though, is that the example you see here today is even scarcer and more in-demand than some of the Nautilus models out there.
Introduced only in 2018, Patek Philippe unveiled the 5968A- an Aquanaut with a chronograph function. It was only a matter of time before Patek did this and it was certainly long-awaited. Using the same CH 28-250 C movement as the Nautilus chronograph, this is a serious watch and as a result, can no longer be considered the ‘younger sibling’ of the Nautilus. Furthermore, as it is incredibly difficult to be allocated a piece, and with currently only a 2-year production run so far, there are far fewer examples of these on the market than other sought after Pateks.
On the wrist, it’s 42mm case sits nicely and has some nice weight and heft to it. The most distinctive feature of this watch, of course, is the use of orange both on the strap and the accents on the dial. The Aquanaut was always meant to be a sporty and young watch, and somehow, Patek has managed to make this piece work with the bright orange not coming off tacky at all. I can imagine wearing this on holiday, on the beach or just during the weekend at a barbecue. I’m really not one for bright colors but somehow, this watch has managed to convince me otherwise. What is nice as well, is if you do not feel like the orange, this watch also comes with an uncut, brand new black rubber strap to tone things down a bit when you need to, but for me- it has to be orange.
The 5968A is just as versatile as any sports watch out there and perfectly encapsulates the term ‘luxury sport’ watch. I am sure you didn’t need to read the above for you to decide whether you love this piece or not. It is one of the most in-demand watches produced today and the perfect do-anything watch.
