New Cult Rising: The launch of Patek Philippe’s new Aquanaut variants

A true testament of Patek Philippe’s innovative prowess, the Aquanaut with its modern, unexpected design and unique character made waves at its 1997 unveiling while attracting a new, younger clientele.

It is still unwaveringly bold and daring today, replete with a recognisable Nautilus-inspired case and rounded octagonal bezel, alongside the alternation of polished and satin-brushed finishes. Giving it a unique and dynamic appearances are its colour-coordinated dial and supple, comfortable strap—crafted from high-tech water-resistant composite material—both fetchingly embellished with an embossed checkerboard pattern.

It was only in 2004 that the Aquanaut Luce (“light” in Italian) was introduced for women who wanted extra sparkle to jazz up the modern, sporty-chic Aquanaut—and so a circle of diamonds on the bezel was called to provide the illumination.

Along the trajectory of the Aquanaut’s grand expansion, there were two notable occasions that lent significant impact to its evolution. In 2007 for the Aquanaut’s tenth anniversary, it was reworked with a relief pattern on the dial and strap along with a new integrated strap echoing the curvature of the case between the two lugs.

Then in 2011, the men’s Aquanaut was endowed with the Manufacture’s exclusive Travel Time mechanism, showcasing the user-friendly dual-time zone function and date indicator linked to local time.

In 2021, after more than fifteen years of success and popularity, Patek Philippe takes a deep dive into the initial design of the Aquanaut Luce from 2004 to manifest a new generation of quartz-powered models in steel and a self-winding model in rose gold to replace the existing models.

More good news is in store for the Aquanaut Luce, which receives its first additional function: the Travel Time dual-time zone. Except for the Haute Joaillerie iteration, all Aquanaut Luce models will from now boast a bigger 38.8 mm diameter, upped from its previous 35.6 mm, with an integrated strap whose contours are synced with the curves of the case and lugs.

First up, the new Aquanaut Luce Ref. 5267/200A offers three chromatic versions in steel with matching dial and strap: eternally elegant black (Ref. 5267/200A-001), feminine matte white (Ref. 5267/200A-010) and audacious khaki green Ref. 5267/200A-011). Refined yet sporty, the dials emanate remarkable modernity and balance, intensified by the embossed Aquanaut decoration, and white gold applied Arabic numerals and baton-style hands with luminescent coating.

The matte white dial version is rendered with black numerals and a date printed in white against a black backdrop in the aperture at 3 o’clock for added legibility. Water-resistant to 120 m, the trio are powered by the Patek Philippe caliber E 23-250 S C quartz movement and decorated with a circle of 48 round-cut Top Wesselton Pure diamonds.

The next Aquanaut Luce novelty: Ref. 5268/200R-001 in rose gold boasts a self-winding mechanical movement, powered by the double-patented caliber 26-330 S C, in the footsteps of predecessors Ref. 5068R-001 (2010) and Ref. 5068R-010 (2013). Save for the movement, its base characteristics echo those of the three aforementioned steel Aquanaut Luce variants, alongside a matte white embossed dial; rose gold applied Arabic numerals, baton-style hour and minute hands with a luminescent coating, and sweep-seconds hand; and a date aperture at 3 o’clock.

The jewel in the crown within the 2021 Aquanaut Luce line- up is indubitably Ref. 5269/200R, whose Travel Time dual- time mechansim further elevates the casual-chic watch into the perfect companion for the active, globe-trotting woman. It departs from the Manufacture’s ingenious and exclusive Travel Time dual zone function mechanism, featured in the men’s Aquanaut Ref. 5164, with two push-pieces on the left flank of the case for local time indication—substituting it with two innovative, user-friendly functions.

First, a new quartz movement fitted with a dual-time zone function, the caliber E 23-250 S FUS 24H; and a discreet, practical setting system via the winding crown. A skeletonised hand reserved for home time and a solid hand for local time make up the watch’s two central hour hands, The latter is adjustable forwards and backwards by one-hour increments just by pulling the crown out to the intermediate position while the movement’s accuracy is maintained and the former displays home time with the help of a day/night indicator at 6 o’clock. Alternatively, the two hour hands can be aligned into s a single hand using the winding crown when the dual-time function is no longer necessary. The Ref. 5269/200R Travel Time’s specifications mirror that of Ref. 5268/200R-001, except for a reduced 60 m water-resistance.

With all the focus shining on ladies’ models for the 2021 Aquanaut renditions, Patek Philippe has not left out the men, which it bestows with two Aquanaut chronographs: Ref. 5968G, the first version in white gold, complemented with midnight blue (Ref. 5968G-001) or khaki green (Ref. 5968G-010) dials and straps. It was just in 2018 that the Manufacture launched its first chronograph for the Aquanaut, Ref. 5968 in steel with a black-on-black dial and strap, and the way the chronograph complication has been assimilated into the Aquanaut this time round could not be more harmonious. The 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock mimics the bezel’s rounded octagonal shape, joined by elongated pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock on either side of the screw-down crown. Highlighted in white are the chronograph’s sweep seconds, quarter-second scale and 60-minute counter which are paired with the watch dial’s white gold applied numerals and luminescent baton-style hands.

In embodying the modern Patek Philippe style, the Aquanaut and Aquanaut Luce fuse the ultimate in sporty performance through their robust construction, water-resistance, legibility and ergonomic design. If that’s not enough, they are capped with the Manufacture’s unparalleled quality, accuracy and reliability in the finest watchmaking tradition of Genevan craftsmanship.