Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164A

The Origins

Debuting in 1997, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut was released to engage with a new kind of clientele - a younger, sportier, and trendier watch collector that was newly minted on the back of the dot.com stock market explosion. Released under the same premise as the Nautilus when it was released in 1976 – a trendy sports watch for a new clientele, the Aquanaut raised suspicions from Patek’s traditional collectors with its position as the first Patek to feature a rubber strap – something collectors saw as a cheap design option at the time. Following on from its debut, the Aquanaut has grown into a rather diverse collection of iconic and sought-after timepieces, with the reference we have here standing as one of the most desirable, the Aquanaut Travel-time ref. 5164.

Debuting as Patek Philippe’s second sports watch, the Aquanaut was built upon the foundations that the Nautilus had already laid twenty years prior, while also expanding into new territory that the Nautilus and Patek Philippe as a whole had never resided within before. Released in 1997, the Aquanaut updated the Nautilus’ sporty design so as to offer greater performance while also remaining trendy and stylish, so as to speak to a new younger clientele. Additionally, the Aquanaut boasted Patek Philippe’s renowned craftsmanship as Patek Philippe sought to appease their traditional customer base and maintain the standards that had earned them their place within the watchmaking hierarchy.

Sporting a tropical rubber strap – a first for Patek at the time, a softened octagonal bezel and an interestingly textured dial, the Aquanaut began life with a rather slow start, but eventually found its footing in the marketplace. With 120m of water resistance and its casual aesthetic, the Aquanaut forged its place within Patek’s catalogue, a place that it has today rightfully kept since the collection’s debut. As one might imagine, the Aquanaut has seen several references join its ranks, and one of the most complicated of them all is the Travel Time ref. 5164 that we are exploring today.

Released in 2011, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time has proven to be wildly successful as Patek broadened the scope of their sportiest model and filled it with features that are functional in the real-world. The very first Aquanaut to feature a complication beyond just a date display, the ref. 5164A houses a list of practical functions that have driven demand towards this incredibly casual and sporty exploration of Patek Philippe’s talents as a watchmaker.

The Case and Dial

Perhaps the Aquanaut’s most obvious link to the Nautilus is its case shape and construction. Famed for its soft octagonal shape, the Nautilus’ imprint on the Aquanaut is obvious, with the corners of the Aquanaut’s eight-sided bezel even softer than its sibling. Additionally, another link to the Nautilus’ case is the shape of the Aquanaut’s crown guards which resemble the porthole hinges that flank either side of the Nautilus’ case. Adding some individuality to the Aquanaut’s case are its lugs, which give the watch a more casual aesthetic than the Nautilus simply as it more closely resembles a typical watch that you might see every day directly as a result.

Following on from the introduction of the ref. 5167, its time and date-only sibling, the Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164 managed to stay within an unchanged case diameter of 40.8mm. However, its two pushers at 8 and 10 o’clock do mean the ref. 5164 wears slightly larger than its billed diameter of 40.8mm. Of course, with its greater complexity, one would rightfully assume that they ref. 5164 would be thicker than the ref. 5167, and it is – coming in at 13.4mm tall. While this is a big jump from the ref. 5167’s 8.3mm tall case, the greater functionality is worth the trade-off. Also, given that some collectors prefer their watches to feel hefty on their wrist, the ref. 5164 is by no means outside of the realm of normality for a lot of collectors.

Moving past its case brings us to what resides inside of it, the ref. 5164’s stunning sunburst grey dial. Slightly brighter in its centre than other black dial Aquanauts like the ref. 5167A, the color of the ref. 5164’s dial helps to differentiate it from its less complicated siblings, while still retaining a link to their design language. Boasting a pointer date subdial at 6 o’clock that is flanked by two AM/PM apertures at 3 and 9 o’clock, which correspond to the ref. 5164’s two hour hands, this dial is sleek and well-designed.

The Movement

Powering these complications such as its skeletonised second hour hand, twin AM/PM apertures and pointer date subdial is the ref. 5164’s cal. 324 S C FUS movement. The epitome of Patek's incredibly intuitive design the ref. 5164 can quickly provide its wearer with their local and home time at a glance, alongside their AM/PM status, while also being operable at the press of a pusher on the 9 o’clock side of the case, as mentioned. A stunningly symmetrical layout on one of Patek's most iconic modern designs, the ref. 5164 is perhaps the ultimate stainless steel Aquanaut thanks to its sports-orientated design and impressive utility as a functional watch for the jet-setters amongst us.

Celeb Love

Of course, as a sports watch from Patek, the Aquanaut ref. 5164 has proven to be immensely popular with celebrities who favour it for its toned-down and casual presence on the wrist thanks to its rubber strap and softer lines than a watch like the Nautilus, making it an easier watch to wear when trying to fly under the radar. With its black on black colour combination and thicker case, it would be easy to miss a ref. 5164A on the wrist of a passer-by, and so it has become a darling of the rich and famous, with celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, John Mayer, Virgil Van Dijk, Chris Paul and David Beckham’s son Romeo all seen sporting this wonderfully useful watch.

Market Performance

Like other sports watches from high-end brands like Patek Philippe, the Aquanaut is a truly sought-after watch across the board. Thanks to its rubber strap and stainless steel case, even the ref. 5164 comes in at a relatively affordable MSRP of $42580, which has driven demand for it from Patek Philippe’s authorized dealers. As a result of this demand, the ref. 5164A commands a market value of $82000, which is a price premium of 93% over its retail price.

However, towards the height of the market, the ref. 5164A was known to sell on the open market in excess of $100000, with Christies selling one example in April 2022 for HKD 819000, which was about $105000 at the time. While the ref. 5164A’s market value has softened along with the rest of the market’s overall performance, the ref. 5164A was discontinued at Watches & Wonders 2024, which has led to it seeing a 1.7% gain in the last 90 days, a trend that will likely continue as the only Aquanaut models offering travel time functionalities are now all precious metals such as rose gold and white gold.

Check out the live performance of Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164A at The Wristcheck Index