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Aquanaut Chronograph: Patek Philippe's next 'grail' timepiece
Patek Philippe is going for (white) gold with its 2021 Aquanaut collection for men and women.
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Inviting colors: The new Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce for women comes in a variety of classic colors and has a diameter of 38.8 millimeters available in steel or rose gold. (Patek Philippe /Courtesy of Patek Philippe)
J
ust as the world of business has the “Big Four” accounting firms, in the world of Swiss luxury watches also exists an exclusive club of the most sought-after brands: the horological “Holy Trinity” of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
This trio of brands has centuries-old experience and the ability to maintain the desirability for mechanical timepieces in today’s world of digital watches and affordable battery-powered watches. The watch industry becomes abuzz whenever one of these brands launches a new timepiece. And the opposite applies on those rare occasions when one of these three watchmakers discontinues a grail watch, propelling demand and prices in the secondary market to exuberant levels.
This happened most recently in January 2021 when Patek Philippe announced it was discontinuing its hottest item, the Nautilus 5711/1A-010 with blue dial, leading the piece’s price on the secondary market to double in less than two months. Then, news broke in March that Patek Philippe had unveiled a new Nautilus 5711 model, the 1A-014 with a sunburst olive-green dial and stainless steel band.
But there’s a catch. Just because you have a ton of cash doesn’t mean you can just waltz into a Patek Philippe boutique, point to the new Nautilus 5711 (if it’s even on display) and expect to take it home. Instead, you’ll be placed on a waiting list for new customers and can expect to wait for a while, even years, keeping in mind that the list favors existing Patek Philippe clients.
Despite all that, the waiting list continues to grow to this day. After all, it is not only a beautiful timepiece to own, but historical data also shows that a Nautilus will increase in value over time, even as soon as you walk out of the boutique. Patek Philippe has launched various Nautilus models over the years in a variety of colors, sizes, materials and functions. All have been successful, with demand higher than supply as indicated by its high prices on the secondary market.
Love for and the rarity of the Nautilus has impacted the desirability of another Patek Philippe sports watch collection, the Aquanaut. While the Nautilus was first introduced in 1976, the Aquanaut made its debut in 1997. Although it has its own character, the Aquanaut’s case and rounded octagonal bezel clearly take their cues from the Nautilus.
