Patek Philippe

Interesting discussion about whether the Aquanaut stands as an icon in it's own right, or whether it's a merely a good Nautilus knock-off. Anyone care to comment?

Nautilus. I will not get an Aquanaut.

A picture from my afternoon walk last Friday wearing the Icon.

Best, Kari

coz it's still too young to become one. I'd say it can only be one new line of Patek, and a good one to start with.

If you tell your AD you want to buy your first Patek, he would probably advise you to decide on your budget and the design that appeals to you most. And you could choose Aquanaut, Nautilus, Gondolo, Ellipse or Calatrava ... Icon? Perhaps after 1 or 2 decades.

 

as a 15300 is. Actually I had a 15300 for a while and find the 5167 to be  better at ahat they do than the 15300. Better legibility, fabulous luminova, better wr, easier to accurately set the time (no jumping minute hand). More comfortable.

Was thinking of adding a steel bracelet if the price is right, but probably will maintain its "iconic status" and keep it on the tropical strap

and presents good value on its own, but pales when compared to its more robust compeitition fm AP or VC, even its own elder brother .

4 of the last 5 Aquanaut owners i know switched to Nautilus within the first year of ownership. watch either sold or traded for a Nautilus, or the aquanaut is "inherited" by the missus. apols in advance to aquanaut owners.

I've gotta say, the Aquanaut strikes me as more stylish, more iconic of the 20th century "modern" look than the Nautilus. I know it's the lower-priced model, but I honestly see it as an improvement in terms of appearance, for the following reasons. The Nautilus has those horizontal lines on its dial, but the Aquanaut reinterprets those lines as latitudes, and adds "longitudes" to create a symbol of the very globe that the 20th century opened up to millions of new world travellers. It fits perfectly with the bezel's "porthole" motif, calling to mind a ship travelling the world. The Nautilus has nice restrained ticks at each hour position, but the Aquanaut adds numerals. The 20th century saw unparallelled advances in mathematics and computing; what more fitting expression of those advances than numbers marking the passage of time? In my opinion, PP actually made the Aquanaut LESS attractive when it took the "3" off the dial a few years after the Aquanaut first came out.

It's all personal preference -- they're both beautiful watches. But for artistic expression, I believe the Aquanaut takes the prize.

Hi, CT

I agree with your interpretive view of the Aqua. It's an elegant product of its times. I think the best design flows from the spirit of its times but avoids period cliches. The Aqua is a good example of an updated, progressive, inviting PP sports watch that manages to avoid the worst industry excesses of recent years (e.g., monstrous size, excessive graphics, co-branding).

Cheers,

Tim

Thanks, Tim - as you pointed out in your September post about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor's Art Deco "zing" (spot on), there's an energy to various eras. I think we often see the energy best from a distance of a decade or so. I couldn't agree with you more about the monstrous size of even high-end watches now...what do you think that says about the energy of the present day? Insecurity? One could certainly be forgiven for feeling a little insecure in the current financial climate.

CT,

I think there's something to be said for the notion that this era in history (and horology) has been marked by uncertainty, but only part of it has been the recent financial crisis.

(Note: this will come full circle and return to the Aquanaut!).

Since 2000, we in the US have seen divisive elections, wars, cultural tensions, questions about America's place in the 21st century, and, of course, the economic maelstrom of the last 2.5 years. Europe has struggled with shifting demographics, ethnic/religious tensions, changes to long-standing social institutions, ambivalence about pan-European identity (vs. national), and its own home-grown versions of economic disaster in Greece and Iceland, among others. Asia has seen dramatic change, perhaps even more than the others.

The growth of China has forced every nation to take account of its economic, military, and political allegiances. The emergence of a new regional hegemon has not been met with universal acclaim, and the resulting tumult has roiled Taiwanese politics; Japan has been forced to undertake serious soul-searching only 20 years after standing as Asia's unquestioned economic and cultural leader. At the same time, relations between the Koreas have been in free-fall for almost half a decade after encouraging rapprochement in the first half of the 2000's.

The consequences of this zeitgeist for arts and style are hard to discern, especially since we're still ensconced within this epoch. My sense is that we're in an era that is thrashing, flailing for direction. Periods such as these can produce stunning, enduring expressions of unique style and spirit. Consider the Victorian Era: tension between science and religion; tradition and modernity; emotion and restraint; reason and romanticism; rich and poor. Consider the inter-war period of the 20th Century; modern art vs. classical; Gatsbyesque wealth and Depression dust bowls; Fascism and Communism; war and peace. Consider the 60's; the final dissolution of colonial empires; equality movements vs. social inertia; war vs. peace; the war generation vs. their children; space races and race riots.

All of the above produced artistic explosions ranging from the music of Wagner to the Beetles. Architecture evolved rapidly from the Beaux-Arts to Bauhaus to Brutalism.

I don't get the sense that this era has been able to rally around a unifying spirit or even to universally reject anything (which would add definition by negation).

In art and architecture, we're still playing with post-modernist and modernist themes recycled endlessly since the the mid 20th century. Music seems to be in a holding pattern, trying to determine who controls the commercial future of the industry in an electronic era. There is a preoccupation with co-opting styles of previous eras to fill the void. Witness the gaggle of retro cars, watches, clothes, furniture, and McMansions in the "Cape Cod" style.

The Aquanaut seems to boast renewed appeal because, strictly speaking, it isn't easy to peg as a product of this era. Certainly, it was launched to take advantage of the boom in sports watches and to expand Patek's buyer base, but nobody said an icon *MUST* be the first or grandest of its type. VW Beetles are as iconic of the 60's as Duesenbergs are of the 30's. Both are instantly recognizable as reminders of the social tensions that characterized those eras.

What does the Aquanaut say about our era? For one, it epitomizes the "business casual" attitude that emerged from the 90's. In the post-modern 90's, the bottom line *was* the bottom line and many formal taboos were left derelict. Rolex gave rise to the "sports watch as dress watch" trend in the mainstream, and the Aqua arguably did more to pull Patek in this direction than the more exclusive Nautilus. The 90's, which spawned the Aqua, was a time when 30 year-old software entrepreneurs in Hawaiian shirts were the heros of the working world. There was no white gold Nautilus in this popular image, but an Aquanaut on a rubber strap could pull it off!

After the tech bust, there was a real estate boom bounded by two recessions, one of which arguably remains the central feature of current events. The Aqua is poised to weather these storms while countless fashion watches, brands, haute-de-gamme novelties, and jeweled confections vanish into the maelstrom. Herein lies another mark of an icon; it endures.

I'm not saying the Aqua is an icon just yet, but it has an honest elegance, broad appeal, and very little baggage. The quality is present but the presentation is subtle. It doesn't beg attention, and it fits well in any social or business setting. During the 30's, in the US, it was a mark of Cain to be a "man of 1929," one of the business, intellectual, or political leaders who led the nation into the Depression. Perhaps, the Aqua is an haute-de-gamme piece that stops short of branding one a "man of 2008?"

Maybe the distinctive style of this epoch is only what we make of it as individuals.

In this era of relentless focus on the individual, there is something to be said for a watch that whispers "hear me" rather screams "look at me." Even more than the Nautilus, the Aqua is a watch that lets the wearer speak for himself.

Cheers

nt

Agreed, Tim, the current stormy financial climate is only a part of the story of our times.  You make an encouraging point about new ideas and styles being the product of tension throughout history.  As they say, a lot of squeezing and burning a lump of coal may just pop out a diamond.  I’m thrilled and heartened by the prospect that there’s an artistic explosion coming!  This is what makes life most exciting.  Any horological designers wishing to be on the vanguard of 21^st century artistic schools of thought (whether at Patek Philippe or elsewhere) will have to grapple with ideas of light, manipulating perception, transience…perhaps the next Calatrava will be just an ethereal image of a dial, floating in mid-air above the owner’s wrist.  I'd love to see James Turrell involved in designing tomorrow's Aquanaut!  The dilemma is that concepts like transience and release from the earthly shackles of time are just the opposite of what a timepiece represents, no?  Tempus fugit…

only a purists can extrapolate horology design from world affairs and trends. i enjoy your post alot, great views.

the recent past events which pushes and pulls people, industries, economies, etc. and how that relates to even such things as watches. 

I wonder of the signature that the Aquanaut will leave looking at it 25-30 years from now.  But when I think of landmark pieces which have incorporated rubber straps, I immediately think of Hublot as being the pioneer of this design ( the look, or whatever you want to call it ) regardless of any other brand's success with a similar look.

When the Aquanaut was launched, the watch was targeted at capturing a younger audience at a price point to get this group familiar with Patek.  Prior its introduction, I can't tell you the number of younger folks who commented that the Patek collection represented an "old man's watch".  The aquanaut proved to be quite successful when clearly there was nothing else available in steel but the Nautilus, which at that time was not enjoying near the popularity and sales as it has recently.

I think a look at the ref 5060 as the first Aquanaut even though it was launched as a gold Nautilus on strap. It's amazing how a dial change, a rubber strap, and a new name can have such a profound impact and it certainly came at the right time for Patek. It just goes to show what a little tweaking of an existing design can yield.

At current price points, I wonder if the Aquanaut will enjoy the success they once had 13 years ago?  Only time will tell.

I'm glad that my thoughts on timepieces and their times were well-received; I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to consider the matter.

It will be fascinating to see what direction design and style (not to mention the world itself) take from this point forward. There is a sense that so much flux occurring so quickly has generated a real nervous energy that could be harnessed for good or ill.

What form will new styles of expression take? We'll have to find out. It's rarely the arbiters of high style who launch the true innovations; breakthroughs tend to start at the margins of culture. (e.g., the Tango, Manga Art, Rock and Roll...). We must be ready to confront the future art and craft with an open mind. They could be inspired by anything from austerity movements to computer culture to Higgs' gravity theory. If artists drew connections between Einstein and Dadaists, it's hard to say how new ideas could become manifest across disciplines.

True innovations in style are not always well-received by those with overly discriminating taste. Most of the reactionary movements of the 30's railed against modern art... rock and roll was supposed to corrupt the youth during the 50's!

I do think PuristS have more sense of adventure than that (MB&F "Frog," anyone?), so hopefully we'll be able to spot and discuss new forms of art as they emerge The next few years should be quite a journey...

Cheers

that I thoroughly enjoyed the exchange on creative forces and their compounding.

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If you ask me, the true icon is the RO, designed some 4 years before the Naut, if I'm not mistaken.

You could even say the Naut is a knock-off of the RO, having seen the big success this new concept had.

Heresy?

 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - as they say.
what better proof of the Aquanaut's arrival as the icon of its genre?

an icon....yet.  The design is relatively new and obviously a derivative of the Nautilus, which I do believe has achieved an icon status, given its ongoing 35 year run and enormous recent success.

1st came out in 1997, it was restyled in 2006 and now there is a rose gold choice.  Oh and don't forget the ladies versions

Well here it is 3 1/2 years later and the Aquanaut has branched out into new lines and metals.

Not an icon for me, how many people actually know what Aquanaut is ? 

But, maybe the way to "con" the younger generation without an "i" !

The plain, elegance & versatile iconic piece fr PP still remains as:

 

Nautilus 5711/1A

This message has been edited by JamesWirral on 2010-10-04 20:58:47

This message has been edited by JamesWirral on 2010-10-04 21:11:23

.....some comments remind me why I am always a little sceptical when I hear some Patek "collectors". 

Very well said. It's all about design, functionality and the wearer. A successful Nautilus doesn't make Aquanaut a less watch. My Aquanaut gets much longer wrist time than any other Patek I own including Nautilus.

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......I meant every word.