Collecting Guide | Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164A Travel Time

For some peculiar reason, I like to imagine that one day I would experience a lonesome layover at an airport in a foreign country, where I would be forced to spend the night. My phone would be dead and I would have forgotten to bring my charger. The only thing left working would be my watch, with a fitting name called Travel Time.

I call this the “layover test.” It’s weird, I know, but in my mind it’s a romantic idea. If I could have only one thing with me in an airport at night, with nowhere to go, would I enjoy its companionship? With the 5164A, the answer is no doubt affirmative. I can imagine falling asleep with it on my wrist, or have it on the desk to serve as a little travel clock. It is comfortable enough that I don’t need to take it off, and robust enough that I don’t worry about banging it around a bit.

I’ve wanted to own and wear this watch since I turned 18. At that time I was drawn to the Aquanaut’s youthful profile. I just liked the look. And the fact that Sir Paul McCartney, one of my favorite musicians, wore an Aquanaut on its black rubber strap fairly often, only added to the already immense charm of this steel watch. It looked as great on Mr. Thierry Stern in a gray suit as it did on a member of the Beatles in a hoodie. How cool is that?

 

Left: Thierry Stern, owner of Patek Philippe

Right: Sir Paul McCartney, a member of the Beatles

 

Forget about the distinction between a sports watch and a dress watch. The Patek Philippe 5164A is as versatile as a watch can get. I think it’s also the best travel time watch ever designed for daily use. Today I’m going to go over each feature of this watch and share my experience of wearing it.

 

What is 5164?

At the heart of it, this is a steel watch with a dual time function, which lets you track the time for two time zones. A lot of companies make this type of watch because the people who buy them probably travel often or it’s just nice to have something on your wrist that serves as a travel reminder. Either way, it’s happy stuff.

When you are in your home time zone, the hour hands (yes, you do have two on this watch) overlap so you can only see one of them. The two apertures are coordinated too, showing the same color.

 

You will notice that, that compared to the photo above, the two apertures here are blue instead of white.

 

The two little squares are what set this watch apart, because this little machine lets you know the AM/PM of both locations. Blue means nighttime and white is daytime.I find it easier to read than a 24-hour display because it requires less math in your head. It’s also cool to look at because the colors gradually move from one to the other, resembling the shift from a dark blue dawn sky to the bright white daylight. I find that to be a nice touch.

Imagine that after a long international flight, you have arrived at the destination. You know that you’re now 12 hours ahead of your home time, so you want to quickly set the watch to the local time zone.

 

Press the buttons on the left to quickly adjust time

 

That’s where this watch comes in handy, because it doesn’t need to be taken off of your wrist. You can just press the buttons on the left side of the case to quickly advance the solid hour hand to display the local time, while a skeletonized hour hand remains to display home time. It also advances the date automatically for you when you switch between time zones. I find that very convenient.

Talking about the date, isn’t it one of the most nicely integrated date-windows you have seen? The date indicator resembles a globe, which is not only in tune with the pattern of the dial, but also fits the theme of this watch.

 

Pay attention to the hour hands. The home time (skeletonized hand) is still at 10 o’clock, while the local time is already 4 o’clock.

 

The date hand is luminous too! I’m so glad Patek didn’t use any fauxtina here. This watch is unabashedly and thoroughly modern, which makes it extremely cool in today’s world. Also, I guess yellowish patina wasn’t a thing in 2011 yet when this was first released?

On an interesting note, I want to challenge the official website of Patek Philippe. On the page for the 5164A, Patek says the watch has a “black embossed dial,” a description which I find to be too general. The dial in fact has a subtle copper tone that is pretty obvious under sunlight. It’s black and stealthy when you want it to be at night, but then it can bring up the beach vibe when you are sunbathing. What a dial!

 

 

Case/Dial/Strap

This is for sure one of the more balanced case designs for the Aquanaut, thanks to the two pushers on the left flank that counterbalance the crown guards on the right side. Both elements are essentially utilitarian.

The pushers allow you to quickly move the hour hand forward or backward through different time zones, while the crown guards of course protect your crown from being knocked off or damaged. The lugs are thick and strong on this watch, but the subtle bevelling creates different facets, thus giving it the extra oomph.

 

 

The finishing is traditional Aquanaut, combining a noticeably brushed bezel and polished buttons. It’s elegant without being too delicate and rugged without being too plain. If Genta imagined the Nautilus as a Royal Oak washed away on the beach, then the Aquanaut definitely endured a longer life in the salt water. It has a smooth bezel design but with several soft edges breaking up the otherwise elliptical shape.

The date adjuster lets you quickly adjust the date if you haven’t strapped on this beauty for some days. Another big plus is that you can move the local hour hand back and forth to change the date too, without damaging the movement. I love this idiot-proof design.

 

A hidden button on the left side of the crown

 

With this case and a screw-down crown, you get 120 meters of water resistance. You can jump into any pool to your heart's content. The clasp is a simple “butterfly” design with an engraved Calatrava cross. The rubber strap (or tropical, in Patek’s term) definitely works well against sweat and water. It’s easy to clean with a small brush and some soap as well. For a Patek Philippe, I find it insanely friendly to do just that.

 

 

The strap continues the theme of the dial, with a nice globe/grenade pattern. One thing I don't like about the strap is the gap between it and the sides of my wrist. It doesn’t hug the wrist well, probably because the endlinks are on the inside of the strap. The strap has two solid steel connectors at the end so it won’t bend at all.

Hmmm, by the way, let me show you something crazy: do you see this green strap? Apparently, singer and collector John Mayer showed off two “uncut and unused” green straps that were out of production in a video. The green strap could go for north of 5,000 dollars. Isn’t that something?

 

John Mayer with two green straps for the Aquanaut | Source:Hodinkee

 

Why is it cool?

Because I like it. That makes it cool. Just kidding. In all seriousness though, I find this to be the most interesting modern watch that Patek Philippe has made, for two reasons: history and wearability.

 

 

A friend who was really into vintage watches laughed at me when I told him I think this 5164 felt like a more wearable version of the legendary 2597 to me. Of course, I know you would probably scoff at this comparison as well. The 2597, born in the late 50s, was Patek Philippe’s first dual time zone model.

You can just think of it as a relatively modern sized Calatrava with two buttons on the side. The 2597 was not designed by Patek Philippe however. It was designed by Louis Cottier, the man who made the world time watches for many Swiss brands, including Patek. It’s a significant design because of its usability and elegance. I won’t bore you with the details but anyone could tell the Aquanaut is worlds apart from the Calatrava, though not necessarily in a bad way.

 

Patek Philippe 2597 | Source: Antiquorum

 

To me, the design of this Aquanaut takes direct cues from the 2597, with two buttons on the side, but is much more practical in terms of daily use. I don’t have long nails, nor do I have a pin carried with me all the time. I can’t adjust the time zones as easily on the 2597 as I can on the 5146, by pushing two fairly large buttons on the side.

Being in steel, this watch can take a few hits better than its precious metal counterpart. It draws less eyeballs so ideally you could take it to more places and explore the cities with. As I said earlier, the 120m thing does not mean you are going to dive with it but it does make a compelling argument in favor of not leaving it in the hotel safe but taking it with you to the pool downstairs. It gives you that choice. A few raindrops certainly won’t have you worried either.

 

 

As John Mayer said, this is the “Chuck Taylor” of Patek Philippe. I agree that this watch could go with jeans and a T-shirt just as well as a suit. I have seen this watch on the wrists of guys in their 20s, as well as on people past their retirement age. They both work, but I prefer the look of this watch on a slightly gray-haired gentleman or lady. It just screams badass to me.

Wearing it is quite an experience in it self, because this is a Patek Philippe complication that is meant to be worn on a daily basis. I’m well aware of the fact that a chosen few out there daily their minute repeaters, but that’s not the point here. The 5164 has a historical complication that I relate to, a steel case that I don’t have to be too careful with and a water resistance that I could go anywhere with. For a lot of watch collectors, I bet it’s nice to not worry about what’s on your wrist and just enjoy what life throws at you.

 

 

One thing I wish this 5164 had would be a longer power reserve. The 45-hour power reserve isn’t too bad but it would be nicer if you didn’t have to wear it everyday to have it wound or else the date would be wrong when you picked it up again. But then, with a watch like this, why would you ever put it down?