Why did I buy a Patek Philippe 5650G?


If truth be told, I am not a big fan of either the Nautilus or Aquanaut range. I see neither as sports watches. I see them as sporty, but not a sports watch (credit for that distinction goes to Patekova). I would always have a preference for Rolex as a sports watch. I still do.

Having said that, as a collector of Patek Philippe, i feel i have covered a number of bases with Calatravas, perpetual calendars, simple and split chronos, world times, amagnetic, etc etc. What is very much missing in my collection is a variant of the Nautilus or Aquanaut. Regrettably, over several years I have not seen a watch in that genre that ticked the boxes for me. Nothing fitted the criteria that I have for my specific collection. That was until I saw the 5650G. It wasn’t an immediate recognition, but the dawning realisation that the 5650G was, for me, THE sporty Patek Philippe of choice that hit home about a week or so after it was released at Basel.


Why? Why did this watch truly grab my attention?


Firstly, every collector has either conscious or unconscious factors that direct them in a watch purchase. What I don’t want in a watch is to buy the equivalent of a Ford Focus (no offence to Ford Focus owners). I want something that has something very different about it, whether that is an unusual complication, an unusual dial, an unusual rendition of a complication, fine finishing, sometimes just how a watch feels on my wrist. Rarity is also a factor that can raise hackles on a collector. For me, it gives a watch a frisson of energy that I love. When something is truly hard to find and loads of people are looking, then yes that adds enormously to its attraction for me. Of course, one also has to take great pleasure in a watch for what it is, but when those boxes are ticked AND it is very rare, then yes, I admit, I find that exciting. Shallow me.


That "something extra" comes in bags with the 5650G. Not only is it produced in a series of just 500, demand for it is huge. Further it comes from the Advanced Research department of Patek Philippe. If this was a James Bond film, the Advanced Research department would be the part run by Q. This is no Ford Focus. So yes, OK, the superficial part of my character sits very happy with this rarity issue. But it goes much much further than that.......


The Advanced Research development of two key patents for this watch plausibly sets a path that will see Patek Philippe move back clearly into the vanguard of watch development. The combination of the new spiromax balance spring that allows a constant rate deviation regardless of the orientation of the watch combined with the time zone correction with flexible mechanism in steel that has no mechanical play and so requires no lubrication creates a watch that is not only more reliable and robust but also more accurate. The official accuracy metering of the 5650G expects deviation from the standard -3/+2 seconds per day to a more stringent -1/+2 seconds per day. Dr. Kol has already shown a testing of his 5650G over a 2 week period where the net change in accuracy proved a net deviation of under 1/4 of a second per day. These patents and innovations are taking watch manufacturing into a new era. Higher accuracy and greater reliability in a watch that doesn’t need lubrication. Wow! I make a prediction here…..this movement is going to become a very key part of Patek Philippe’s future references. Why have this Advanced Research facility if you are not going to use it when it strikes oil? And it just struck oil. It is my guess that the 5650G will go down as a very important historical watch for Patek Philippe. And yes, this is a big part of my love for this watch.


Just briefly on an aesthetic…….that dial. It has a fabulous blue hue to it. In different lights it comes across very differently. My favourite blue dial ever on a watch is on the 5070P. Nothing quite eclipses that blue, but that works especially well on a platinum chronograph. The blue on the 5650G works particularly well for this watch. It is a very appealing colouring. 


I am on record as stating that i am not a fan of portholes on watches. As a general rule that is true. I find it detracts from the aesthetics. On the 5650G, however, I just cannot see the portholes! The cutout is a fairly big proportion of the dial and my focus is always on this aspect of the watch. For Patek Philippe, this cut-out is quite incongruous to their normal style. And in that incongruity, I also found another reason to be attracted to the watch. One has to ask why Patek Philippe chose to cut out the dial to demonstrate this specific feature of the watch? For me, and it is again just my speculation, I believe that they feel that they have created something extremely special. So much so, in fact, that they will depart from company norms to do something quite radical and cut away the dial to show specifically this special feature.  The adjustment mechanism has a minimal number of parts and has no gears or pivots thereby negating the need for lubrication in something that is essentially frictionless. The parts are stunningly small and thin, yet still hand -finished and beautiful. Clearly, if it somehow gets broken, then this mechanism will almost certainly require full replacement. In return, however, one gets a movement that is incredibly functional, extremely durable, reliable and with an accuracy that is beyond the current industry standards. More and more of my boxes are getting ticked. This is more Teslar than Ford Focus.

As a general rule, many guys (usually Nautilus owners…LoL) look down on the Aquanaut as the poor relation of the Nautilus. Some Patek Philippe faithful have wondered why Patek Philippe chose to put this incredible new movement in the Aquanaut rather than the Nautilus. I love the fact that its in the Aquanaut and not the Nautilus. It is another incongruity that makes me love this watch. Having been the poor relation for ever, suddenly the Aquanaut is looking at the Nautilus and saying, “Hey, don’t push me”…..in that Rocky type of way. Well, I say Rocky, but thanks to Chimaera, this is more Arnie than Rocky. It is the Terminator.  That is the name that has stuck. It does something that nothing else in the entire Patek Philippe range of watches can do. Further, this is an Aquanaut not in steel but white gold and on a rubber strap. Another incongruity, if you like. If Patek Philippe wanted to cause a stir, they did everything possible in this Aquanaut to do so. And that made me REALLY want one. Thanks to my AD, I got one. Late to the party in applying, but I got one. It fits my collection exactly as I want it to.

In giving a review of my own watch, then yes, of course, it will be a highly subjective review based on the thoughts and opinions of someone who was taken enough to actually buy one. All true.