{"product_id":"patek-philippe-aquanaut-5164a-travel-time-1","title":"Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164A Travel Time","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhen Patek Philippe introduced the Aquanaut in 1997, it represented a considerably more casual interpretation of the luxury sports watch than anything the manufacture had previously produced. Its rounded octagonal case was clearly related to the Nautilus, but paired with a composite strap and a distinctly modern embossed dial, the Aquanaut quickly developed an identity of its own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFor its first fourteen years, the Aquanaut remained relatively simple. That changed in 2011 with the introduction of the Ref. 5164A Travel Time, the first complicated Aquanaut and arguably one of the references that helped establish the collection as far more than simply the younger sibling of the Nautilus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe complication itself has much deeper roots within Patek Philippe. The basic concept can be traced back to the Ref. 2597 of the late 1950s, which allowed the hour hand to be moved forwards or backwards in one-hour increments using pushers integrated into the case. The later Series 2 added a second hour hand, establishing the basic architecture that would eventually evolve into the modern Travel Time system found in the 5164A.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOn the 5164A, however, the system is considerably more intuitive. Two pushers integrated into the left side of the case allow the local hour hand to be advanced or moved backwards in one-hour increments without stopping the watch. A skeletonised hand remains on home time, while separate LOCAL and HOME apertures indicate day or night for each time zone. The date display at 6:00 is linked to local time, automatically moving forwards or backwards as the local hour hand crosses midnight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is a remarkably simple solution to something that can otherwise be surprisingly cumbersome. When both time zones are the same, the skeletonised home-time hand disappears directly underneath the local hour hand, leaving the dial looking much like a conventional Aquanaut. When travelling, two clicks of a pusher can immediately move the watch to a new time zone, without pulling out the crown, stopping the seconds or mentally calculating the difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe rest of the watch remains unmistakably Aquanaut. Its 40.8mm stainless steel case combines brushed surfaces with polished edges, while the black embossed dial is matched by applied Arabic numerals and the familiar black composite strap. Despite the additional complication and pushers, the case remains relatively slim and retains the casual proportions that made the Aquanaut so wearable in the first place.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePowering the watch is the automatic Calibre 324 S C FUS, comprising 294 components and offering approximately 45 hours of power reserve. Visible through the sapphire caseback, it combines Patek Philippe's Gyromax balance and Spiromax hairspring with a 21-carat gold central rotor, all finished to the standards of the Patek Philippe Seal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhat makes the 5164A particularly successful is that the complication feels completely appropriate for the Aquanaut. This was always intended to be Patek Philippe's more casual and contemporary sports watch, and adding a complication designed specifically around travel only reinforces that purpose. More importantly, it is one of those rare mechanical complications that is genuinely useful - intuitive enough to operate in seconds, discreet when it is not needed, and arguably more convenient on the wrist than the modern technology that supposedly made it obsolete.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust ask John Mayer, who is a huge fan of the watch and advocated for it in Hodinkee's very first Talking Watches. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"2015","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44335152857175,"sku":null,"price":90000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1872\/9369\/files\/Patek-Philippe-Aquanaut-5164A-Travel-Time-2_0001_Layer-13.png?v=1790233702","url":"https:\/\/www.ssongwatches.com\/products\/patek-philippe-aquanaut-5164a-travel-time-1","provider":"S.Song Watches","version":"1.0","type":"link"}