Etiqueta: feed

Suspended in that tiny 855 square millimeter net is the caliber RM27-04 movement, a tourbillon-equipped, manually-wound movement that has been fully skeletonized and can be seen from either side of the darkly matte featherweight case. As mentioned above, all of these elements come together in a package that is only 30 grams in weight. For reference, I recently weighed a steel 38.5mm three-hander from a popular microbrand at 134 grams with its bracelet sized. Want more? In 2017, Richard Mille announced the RM 50-03 McLaren F1, the lightest split-second chronograph in the world at the time. It weighs 40 grams. Finally, the original RM 027 weighed just 20 grams (19 for the RM 27-01), so while the 27-04 is a bit heavier, none of the previous Rafa RMs could match 12,000 Gs. You can only bend physics so far, at least until the 27-05. 

What makes these watches all the more endearing is the implementation of the color scheme. It is different from the other collections present on this list in that regard. On the Endurance Pro, the strap is where you really first see the color. In all, there is blue, white, yellow, red, and orange. Each watch has a corresponding, and color-matched, signed Breitling strap. The color matching is not necessarily to the dial either, but rather various nooks and crannies on the case and flange, which bring out the color in a more nuanced sort of way (if you can even call a dial design this complex nuanced). The black dial keeps things professional, and the splashes of color on the pulsation scale, crown, and pusher keeps things fun. Oh, it also doesn’t hurt that the most recent winner of the Tour de France – Tadej Pogacar – had one on wrist when he crossed the finish line. 

The Aquanaut is a relatively young collection for Patek Philippe. The first generation, Ref. 5060, debuted in 1997 as a little brother to the Nautilus. From that point on, the series progressed to the second generation, 5065 (1998), and then to the current generation, 5167 (2007). The one we have here for review is the Ref. 5168 (2017 onwards), which is dubbed Jumbo, a larger version of the current generation Aquanaut. 
This watch was introduced at Baselworld 2019 with a 42.2mm case in 18K white gold, khaki green dial, and rubber strap. Considering that the original 5060 is 35mm, the 5065 is 38mm (aka “Large”), and the current 5167 is 40mm, there is no doubt this “Jumbo” is a watch with some serious presence. I think it reflects Patek Philippe’s positioning of the Aquanaut as a sportier collection in its catalog. For Patek Philippe, 42.2mm is one of the largest watches, and only rivaled by the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time, Flyback Chronograph Annual Calendar (both 42mm), and the Celestial (44mm), which is a Grand Complication.
The big brother Nautilus is staying at 40mm, and even its annual calendar with moon-phase and chronograph-equipped variants are kept at the 40.5mm mark. The Aquanaut is clearly positioned within the luxury sport watch category. By the way, there is also a complication-equipped variant, the Aquanaut Ref. 5968A Automatic Chronograph, which shares the “Jumbo” case.