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Patek Philippe Aquanaut: Revue (en anglais)

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écrit par Jeff (DrStrong) le 05 janvier 2005 10:00:17:

j'ai fait une revue de mon Aquanaut; elle est en anglais pour etre également accessible aux amateurs de cette montre ne parlant pas français.
Je ne pense pas que la barrière de la langue soit un problème.
Bonne lecture.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut: Luxury in a Cool Climate

by DrStrong

The Aquanaut "Jumbo" (Ref. 5065) is a steel sports watch which was specifically designed by Patek Philippe for a new and younger sporty clientele. It enlarges
the Nautilus sports watch collection, which has known more than 20 years of uninterrupted success and is still a masterpiece of both design and advanced
watchmaking techniques:

The Nautilus


Patek Philippe has created this original timepiece for lovers and collectors of quality watches who are looking for a robust and modern steel sports watch.
This watch embodies a new dynamic spirit and suggests an original lifestyle of casual elegance.

The Movement

The Aquanaut Jumbo is fitted with the self-winding movement Caliber 315 SC, with a sweep-second hand and date indicator. This 30-jewel movement features
a 21-karat gold unidirectional winding rotor and the famous Gyromax balance-wheel. This balance-wheel, which oscillates 21 '600 times an hour, is patented
by Patek Philippe and is an important feature which ensures high-precision timekeeping.

The Caliber 315 SC characteristics are:

Diameter : 27 mm
Height : 3.22 mm
Number of parts : 224
Number of jewels : 30
Power-reserve : 48 hours
Winding-rotor : 21-karat gold unidirectional
Balance-wheel : Gyromax
Vibrations per hour : 21'600
Hallmark : The Geneva Seal
Indicators : Date and sweep-seconds

The Caliber 315 SC of the Aquanaut

More than 1'200 operations are required to make the components of a single Patek Philippe self-winding mechanical movement. The components are submitted
to 500 hours of quality control during the manufacturing phase. It takes nearly an entire year to make a Patek Philippe mechanical movement, whether manually
wound or self-winding.

Patek Philippe, the last independent watch manufacturer in Geneva, produces timepieces in small series only. Each timepiece is carefully hand-finished in
order to achieve unprecedented levels of technical and aesthetic perfection and every Patek Philippe movement bears the Geneva Seal.

This hallmark on a watch movement certifyies that it conforms to the highest official standard of traditional Geneva watchmaking. The tiny seal with the
Geneva arms (the eagle and key) was instituted by the State of Geneva in 1886 in order to provide a guarantee of the origin and the craftmanship of clocks
and watches made in Geneva. The criteria include 12 technical absolute requirements related to the manufacturing of the movement. Only manual and
self-winding mechanical movements can be awarded the Geneva Seal and Patek Philippe is the only watch manufacturer whose entire production of mechanical
movements qualify for this distinguished Seal.

The Case

The stainless steel case of the Aqanaut features the trademark octogonal bezel of the original Nautilus series, designed as a porthole; it comes with a
screw down crown and case back, ensuring water resistance down to 120 meters. Its glossy polish contrasts with the mat finish of the bezel. The case is
41.5mm across and 8.4mm thick, which makes the Aquanaut a very comfortable watch.

The Aquanaut comes in three different sizes: a large ("Jumbo") and a small size are being added to the original "Medium" size.

The medium-sized Aquanaut (Ref. 5066A) is fitted with the self-winding mechanical movement, Caliber 330 SC, featuring the same characteristics as Caliber
315 SC, but with the date indicator positioned more centrally. This version is also available with a quartz movement and a steel case back (Ref. 5064A).
The small-sized Aquanaut (Ref. 4960A), designed for ladies' wrists.

In addition, there are versions with a steel bracelet and in 18 K gold with tropical strap.

The Strap and Dial

The modern design of the Aquanaut integrates the dial and the strap. The textured black dial was specially adapted and is exclusively reserved for the
Aquanaut. It is decorated with 12 Arabic numerals in white gold. The hour and minute hand, also in white gold, feature a luminous coating for enhanced
visibility in the dark.

The "Tropical" strap is fitted with a steel folding clasp, embossed with Patek Philippe's famous Calatrava Cross emblem. This strap, which was also developed
exclusively for the Aquanaut, is made of more than 20 materials. It took more than a year to develop. Various specific operations and machinery are required
to make it, including a 150 metric ton press. Supple and pleasant to the touch, the "Tropical" strap is ideal for aquatic sports. It cannot be ruined by salt
water or extreme temperatures, and it is highly resistant to stress and ultraviolet radiation.

Most of the time though, I wear my watch on exotic skins...

Conclusion

I have been wearing the watch for nearly six months. It shows remarkable timekeeping and is a pleasure to wear, either with strict or casual clothes.
So if you like the watch, get one and have a lot of fun wearing it !





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