Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164G in Blue Grey Opaline THE WORLD'S FIRST!
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time 5164G-001
First launched in 2011, the Patek Aquanaut Travel time reference 5164A-001 was an absolute fan favourite.
It was the Aquanaut Travel Time in stainless steel, and not only was it a fan favourite, it was also Thierry Stern’s go-to piece for travelling and one of the longest serving sports watches in Patek’s sports line-up next to the Nautilus 5711.
It is fairly safe to say that the launch of the Travel Time really elevated the the Aquanaut range back in the day and lifted it from just being the Nautilus’ younger and more accessible sibling to being high on the wanted lists due to its own merits, which were nothing to do with big brother, particularly since the Nautilus at the time did not have a model that incorporated a travel time feature.
The 5154A was cool, good looking, and useful, and all things considered, a bit of a legend amongst Patek fans. It was seen on the wrists of many of the “famous watch dudes” including John Meyer and Ellen Degeneres.
Imagine everyone’s horror, then, when they refreshed the Patek site on 1st February 2024 to discover that the model had been discontinued.
It was a disaster on a fairly grand scale.
The rose model was, and still is, in production, but there was no more steel.
Salvation came, sort of, when at Watches and Wonders April 2024 debuted the incoming replacement Travel Time, reference 5164G-001 and it is this new model that is on the desk today.
It is, I have to say, absolutely gorgeous and presented in the colour of the season “Opaline Blue Grey” which is what Patek Philippe has named it, but, its Air-Force Blue, and shares its colour scheme with the also newly released Nautilus 5980/60G.
Stats-wise it is the same as the original with 40.8mm diameter, 46.5mm lug to lug and 10.5mm thick, which is pretty spot-on size wise for most tastes.
Due to it having the Travel Time feature it is also pretty neatly symmetrical with the travel-time pushers which are on the left side of the case balancing out the crown guards on the right - very pleasing.
The lug width is 21mm which is an odd size for regular strap changes but really, given that the Aquanaut comes on its own composite (AKA rubber) integrated strap in matching blue with a twin trigger deployant clasp, I see no real reason to mess with perfection.
That said, given that Patek offers a few different coloured straps for the Aquanaut, a black strap would look great and offer a lot of contrast, but if you fancy a bit of heresy with dark blue, khaki or even dark brown then you could probably have some pretty cool combinations to play with.
This is a weightier piece than its steel predecessor and wears exactly the same as its rose gold counterpart the 5164R, you can feel that it’s gold, but it’s just so well balanced that you don’t notice the additional grams of precious metal.
There is the (as expected) mix of brushed and polished surfaces to the case. Lug tops and bevels are polished while the case sides and bezel are brushed. The bezel has the same vertical brushwork seen on both the Nautilus and Aquanaut line which has become a bit of a hallmark. It is exceptionally finely executed, but a bit of a so-and-so if you are, like me, somewhat graceless when it comes to staggering through door frames.
Wearer beware and all that.
There has been a movement change for the current models, and this one is running the in-house automatic calibre 26-330 which offers dual time zone, date, local and home time, 29 jewels and a 45 hour power reserve.
The Travel Time feature is operated using the pushers at the side of the case which are used to advance local time (top) or roll back the hours (bottom) while the home time is set via the crown.
Home time is indicated by a cut-out hour hand, and when the travel function isn’t in use, the local hand can be set to overlap and hide the home hand from view to keep the dial nice and tidy.
There are two dial cut outs - local and home time which give day and night indications for both so that you dont run the risk of phoning home at 3am. Domestic bliss - covered.
The date subdial is set using a pusher button which is set into the case under the crown at the top of the right hand lug.
The dial is a rather lovely blue grey tone but lacks the fume effect of the steel and rose travel times. Instead it is a “one colour” semi-matte dial with the embossed Aquanaut hallmark Geosphere design.
It doesn’t play with the light in the same way as the fume versions, but is equally as attractive because the colour choice works so so well with the crisp white Arabics, luminescence, and minute track.
Sometime simple just works, and this is one of those times.
This watch would look absolutely brilliant paired with some old jeans. It’s casual and contemporary which is just what we like to see really.
What I do not want to see, however, is 30m water resistance on an Aquanaut.
Why?
Because this makes it an AquaNOT.
The whole point of the Aquanauts is that they are watches for the water.
The newly discontinued steel Travel Time was rated to 120 metres which is the standard for the range.
It had the twin triggers, the push date, and essentially the exact same case structure as this, so what is going on, Patek?
According to a press release, what’s going on is that Patek have made the executive decision to rewrite the widely understood codes of water resistance.
They stated in a press release:
"To ensure the homogeneity and clarity of the information provided to clients, Patek Philippe has decided to introduce a new unified standard of water-resistance set at 30 meters for all watches certified as water-resistant – having been tested in air and underwater by immersion at an overpressure of 3 bars (corresponding to a depth of 30 m)," the press release says.
"This measure makes it possible to guarantee the same performance level across all the models concerned and to provide perfectly comprehensible information as to the day-to-day activities in which clients can engage while wearing their watch: washing their hands, showering, bathing, swimming, and other aquatic activities, including diving to a depth of 30m – which corresponds in large measure to actual utilization.”
In short, the Aquanaut can go swimming as it is water resistant to an actual 30m rather than a merely splash proof 30m which is what 3 bar equates to for Every. Other. Brand.
Personally, I’m not sure what I make of this.
On the one hand I’m pleased that the “sports” pieces from Patek do come with some actual resistance and are fit for purpose, but by the same token, I think the change is going to be confusing for clients as the idea that 30m = splash proof only has become so ingrained into the watch worlds psyche.
I know I wouldn’t swim with a 30m rated watch despite assurances as after many years “the rules” are well and truly lodged into my brain.
I’m also responding somewhat negatively to it as I have the sense that this change is borne of something other than necessity.
It does, after all, take a certain “elevated” mindset to change the rules to suit your model line.
Either that, or if Patek are standardising 30m across the range, which is a reduction of 90m from the usual 120m whichever way you look at it, perhaps corner cutting is also in the mix.
I don’t know, but I DO know that whatever the circumstances of the change, it is not floating my boat.
I am aware that I am sounding as grumpy as a bulldog chewing a wasp at the end of what is, genuinely, a very positive review of an extremely attractive watch.
Maybe I am being too negative about the great resistance debate, please let me know what you guys think in the comments!