The fake Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Reference 5164A

While BaselWorld 2012 saw the introduction of the beautiful Nautilus with a white dial, perhaps the most interesting sport watch from Patek Philippe in the past two years isn’t a Nautilus at all. You see, the Aquanaut has always been the other sports watch from Patek – considered by some “Nautilus light.” So it was with replica watches great pleasure that in 2011 we saw the launch of arguably the coolest Aquanaut to date, the Aquanaut Travel Time 5164A.

For the first time, the Aquanaut had a replica watches complication! And a good one! The 5164A is a casual sport watch with a second-timezone function shown via a fourth hand and two apertures on the dial that indicate whether you are reading local or home time. The GMT hand is independetly adjustable via the pushers on the left hand-side of the case, making setting as easy as any travel time watch on the market.

At 6 o’clock is a traditional Patek Philippe date indication register tied to your home time. The case dimensions are 40.8mm, but due to to the case shape, it wears a little bit smaller (which is a good thing). The movement inside the new 5164A is the caliber 324 S C F US, which is built atop the caliber 324 S C, that you will find not only in the larger Aquanaut model, but also the 5711 Nautilus – which of course prompts us to wonder “why not put this new travel-time caliber in the Nautilus?” That’s another question for another day, and this movement is finished as beautifully as you would expect any Patek movement to be – which is to say, it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Caliber 324 S C FUS has 294 parts, 29 jewels, and a power reserve of 45 hours. It’s interesting to note that this is same power reserve as found in the non travel-time movement (324 S C) – one would expect the fourth hand and home/local apertures to take up at least some power. But, these are automatic watches meant to be worn every day, so a power reserve isn’t a huge deal either way.

The dial on the Aquanaut is black embossed with gold applied numerals and luminescent hour markers, that could look very cool as this watch ages. You will notice the date register at 6 o’clock has subtle globe theme – which is neither here nor there. The bezel has your standard Aquanaut brushed finish, which is truly lovely against this black / grey dial.

The strap on the Aquanaut is composite rubber that Patek calls “Tropical.” I’m not sure if that is an allusion to the “Tropic” straps found on many 1960s dive watches, or if there is any technical similiarties here. Either way, the strap does its job and looks the part. On the underside, you will find an Aquanaut double deployant clasp.

The case is water resistant to 120 meters with a screw-down crown and relatively thin. In fact, this watch is incredibly comfortable on the wrist with its modest (wonderfully so) size, atypical case shape, and rubber strap.

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Reference 5164A is an incredibly well-made and useful watch. It’s casual and comfortable, and very subtle. In fact, most people would have no idea just how impressive this timepiece is by looking at it – which is a good thing. It is, quite honestly, the first Aquanaut model that really gets me going. Would this movement be cooler in a Nautilus? Probably. But, it also provided a significant bump in interest to the traditionally less expensive Aquanaut line, and it’s pretty cool this watch is on a rubber strap.

And about the price. The 5164A has a retail price of $36,400. Is that a lot of money to most of us? Sure, it is, but as Theirry Stern told me when I interviewed him last year, a Patek isn’t for everyone, and it’s important that it remains the end-game for collectors. Sure, it may take you longer to own a fake Patek Philippe than most other watch, but when you finally get there, it will feel that much better.

But, this Aquanaut must be considered in comparison to it competition. At $36,400, this dual-time from Patek is a full $14,700 more expensive than the Royal Oak Dual-Tme from Audemars Piguet (MSRP $21,700) . But, it must be said that this particular AP employs a Jaeger-LeCoultre base movement with module, not AP’s excellent in-house 3120 caliber, nor the historic 2120 movement, while the Patek is based on their own in-house movement. If the AP was based on either the 3120 or the 2120, the price difference might be less.

Compared to other sport models from Patek Philippe, the 5164 is $9700 more expensive than the Nautilus 5711 (time + date – MSRP $26,700), and $400 more than the Nautilus 5712 (power reserve and moonphase – MSRP $36,000). But, this new Aquanaut is $11,200 less expensive than the Nautilus 5726 (annual calendar – MSRP $47,600) and $14,600 less than the Nautilus 5980 (chronograph – MSRP $51,000).

The funny thing is, anyone seriously considering this watch can skip right over that last paragraph, because Patek Philippes are not about price tag. If someone wants this watch, they want this watch, and they will buy it, and love it. I should also say that everyone I know that owns an Aquanaut (of the non-travel time variety) absolutely loves them, and the 5164A is surely the new sport watch from Patek to own.

For more details on the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time 5164/A, click here.