Patek Philippe salutes 20th anniversary of the Aquanaut collection, and 40th anniversary of the ultrathin, self-winding Calibre 240 movement
For a heritage watch brand such as Patek Philippe, there was a wealth of inspiration to be had by inspecting a legacy stretching back 178 years. This year, among a host of new models, the brand highlighted the 20th anniversary of the Aquanaut collection, and the 40th anniversary of the Calibre 240, an ultrathin self-winding movement.
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5168G.
The Aquanaut, popular for its sporty yet chic style, debuted new versions, including the Travel Time Ref. 5650G Advanced Research in white gold and limited to 500 pieces, and the Ref. 5168G in white gold.
The Ref. 5650 is born from the Patek Philippe Advanced Research programme, launched 15 years ago and which boasts two major technical advances. The first is the Spiromax balance spring made of Silinvar and a new geometry design that introduces an inner and outer boss for improved isochronism in vertical positions. The second is a compliant mechanism made from steel that helps reduce the parts used in a time-zone setting mechanism from 37 to 12. This mechanism is used to set the second time zone in GMT watches and is revealed via a transparent section at 9 o’clock. For the first time, both inno-vations are used in one timepiece, making this buzz-worthy timepiece one of the highlights of Baselworld.
