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Some thoughts on the vintage Patek Aquanaut.

amanico
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I always had a soft spot for the Aquanaut, more than for the Nautilus, by the way. The 5060 and the 5066, and the 5065. 

I don't care about the see through case  back, so for me, it would be between the 5060 and the 5065. 

So the question is why I didn't get one, yet... 

First, here are the reasons of my attraction for this Aquanaut: 

- A very cool and young look. Its case is more my taste than the Nautilus. Same style but different. 

- The Aquanaut is not as sought after as the Nautilus, which is another good reason for me. 

- The dial, especially the tritium, which gives a lot of warmth , character and soul. 

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- The size: Preferably 38 mm ( Ref 5065 ) but the 35, 6 mm 5060 also works for me. 

- The " Dice " shaped " bow, which has the good taste to not take much room when you stock it: 

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- The rubber strap. I am not disturbed by the bracelet ( for once ), but my preference goes for the rubber, even if I am not a fan of rubber straps, in general, but there are two watches which work very well with a rubber strap: This Aquanaut and the Jaeger Lecoultre Reverso Gran Sport ( especially the Chronograph ). 

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- Finally, the price. It is possible to find a nice one at a still decent price, at the contrary of the Nautilus. The price of the trend and hype, certainly. 

Now my only reserve: 

Have a close look at this dial... 

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Do you see the applied 3? It is centered, in comparison with the other applied numbers. The fault of... The date. Remove the date, and put the 3 at the right place, and I would have already jumped on it. 

This is the only reserve I have... I still don't know if I will have one, one day, just because of that. BUT, STILL... I love it a lot. And I am wondering if I could come over this reserve and just get one. 

I noticed that on the current ones, this issue of the centered " 3 " has disappeared,  but, alas, they don't have these exquisite tritium indices which give it so much charm. 

Isn't it a killer, in yellow gold, too? 

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What do you think? 

Best,

Nicolas

PS: All the pictures were borrowed to The Net. I will happily credit upon request. 

Comments:
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mpg13 February 1st, 2021-03:56
Haha! I never noticed that. All the numbers are in a circle except the 3. Now that I see it I could never own one. ;-) 
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amanico February 1st, 2021-09:55
Ah, you see? Quite disturbing, indeed... 
VinnieD February 1st, 2021-04:35
It has some quirks, like the minute marks which are a little all over the place I owned a 5065 in 2003-2005 and it is a big regret having sold it (also financially...) The only thing I was not a big fan of was the big boxy clasp. The rest was perfect. If you find a good one, jump on it. Gold is even more leftfield - to be experienced... 
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amanico February 1st, 2021-09:59
Yes, the minute markers are quite special, too, but less disturbing than the damn " 3 "... As for the clasp, if I get the watch, I would go for an aftermarket strap, me think... 
GuyT February 1st, 2021-05:20
3 I also always see the out of place 3, pushed there by the date. A no date version would have looked perfect and had that been the case I would already have one. I do still look and question if I could live with that unbalance and so far no!
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amanico February 1st, 2021-09:59
Without DATE... A killer, a pure killer... 
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hans_jorgen_1968 February 1st, 2021-06:20
Great and very interesting thoughts -thx 
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amanico February 1st, 2021-10:00
My pleasure, Hans. Thanks for reading. No message body
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Pretty Boy February 1st, 2021-06:26
Nice write-up, my friend. Thanks! Best, V.
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amanico February 1st, 2021-10:00
Thank you so much, my dear Volker. 
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