Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5167A

A sports watch for a new kind of buyer

By the mid-1990s Patek Philippe had a gap in its lineup. The Gerald Genta-designed Nautilus was nearly 20 years old, and younger buyers flush with new money wanted something more casual. In 1997, a year after it introduced the first annual calendar wristwatch, Patek launched the Aquanaut: a sports watch on a rubber-style strap that was smaller and cheaper than a Nautilus but kept the outline of Genta's octagonal porthole case.

Philippe Stern, who ran the company, told a trade magazine in 1997 that the Aquanaut 'responds to the desires of the brand's clientele who want the traditional Patek Philippe quality but in a true sports watch.' He also described it as a way of 'providing access to the brand for younger consumers who want to purchase a Patek Philippe watch.'

The first reference, the steel 5060A, measured 35.6 mm and was rated to 120 meters. It had a black 'grenade' dial with Arabic numerals and the 330 S C automatic movement. Its list price was CHF 6,900, roughly $5,000 at 1997 exchange rates, at a time when a Calatrava cost close to $9,000. Its clasp was still signed 'Nautilus.' A yellow gold 5060/S with conventional lugs, appearing in some ads as early as 1996, is seen by many collectors as the bridge between the two lines.

The 'tropical' strap

What set the Aquanaut apart was its strap. Patek developed a composite material it called 'tropical,' made to withstand sweat, salt water and ultraviolet light, and molded it with the same pattern as the dial so that face and strap read as one design. The collector John Reardon called seeing it in 1997 'truly shocking.' Patek also marketed the strap as tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as hypoallergenic.

The strap has one quirk owners learn quickly. It is sized by cutting the ends, so any adjustment is permanent.

2007: the 10th-anniversary redesign

In 2006 Patek relaunched the Nautilus for its 30th anniversary. The next year, under Thierry Stern, it refined the Aquanaut for its 10th. Patek introduced two models: the 5165A, a direct replacement for the 38 mm-class 5065A, and the 'extra-large' 5167A at 40.8 mm. The bigger watch caused the stir, and the 5165A did not last.

The changes were subtle. Patek barely softened the case edges. It flattened the dial's embossed pattern, which on the first Aquanauts looked like a block of Swiss chocolate, into a gentler, more curved version. The numerals grew slightly, and the '3' was dropped so the date window could move inward with a luminous dot beside it. The strap was reshaped to follow the curve of the case exactly, with flat sides and a better taper, and Patek designed a new double-security fold-over clasp just for the Aquanaut.

At 8.1 mm thick, the 5167A could be worn with a suit to the office and left on for the evening. That versatility, more than any complication, explains the watch.

Three movements in one reference

The earliest 5167A watches of 2007 used the caliber 315 S C, carried over from the 5065 and marked with the Geneva Seal. From about 2008, when the steel-bracelet 5167/1A arrived, the 324 S C took over. It is the same movement used in the Nautilus 5711/1A, running at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a Gyromax balance and a Spiromax balance spring in Silinvar. From 2009 Patek's watches moved from the Geneva Seal to the company's own Patek Philippe Seal.

The current 5167A uses the 26-330 S C, which adds a stop-seconds function. Sources differ on exactly when it arrived: one collector history shows 2018 as a transition year and 2019 as the switch, while a September 2019 report on a limited edition still listed the 324 S C. Patek specifies the 26-330 S C at 27 mm across and 3.32 mm thick, with 207 parts, 30 jewels, a 21K gold central rotor and 35 to 45 hours of power reserve.

From the little sister to a waiting list

For years the Aquanaut was seen as the Nautilus's little sister. That changed as demand for Patek's steel sports watches outran supply. A 2019 report noted that the 5167 had become harder to find as the Nautilus 5711 became nearly impossible to buy. One collector history describes Aquanaut waiting lists stretching to several years, as long as those for the Nautilus.

The gap between list price and resale price shows the pressure. In August 2022, when the U.S. list price of a 5167A was $21,650, one writer noted that examples were trading for $70,000 and more. In 2026 Patek lists the 5167A-001 at $27,257, and at the end of September 2026 one market tracker estimated a pre-owned 5167A at about $70,500.

Its status is disputed. A 2026 dealer guide says the steel-bracelet 5167/1A was dropped and describes the 5167A itself as discontinued in 2025. Patek's own website, however, still listed the strap-mounted 5167A-001 at the time of writing, along with a new 2026 limited edition.

Rare variants and how to tell them

The standard 5167A-001 has a charcoal-gray sunburst dial with a black-gradient rim, white gold applied numerals and hands with luminescent coating, and a black composite strap. The 5167/1A is the same watch on a steel bracelet.

Patek has used the 5167A for a few special pieces. In 2011 it issued the 5167A-010, a clients-only steel Aquanaut with a khaki green dial and matching strap; one example hammered for CHF 52,500 at auction in Geneva in 2015, and the khaki straps alone became collector items. For its 2019 Grand Exhibition in Singapore, Patek made 500 examples of a 5167A with a black dial, red minute track and red strap, sold only in Singapore and Southeast Asia. For the Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan, October 2 to 18, 2026, it made the 5167A-014, a 250-piece edition with a blue sunburst dial, a red minute track and seconds hand, a midnight blue strap and 'Patek Philippe Milano 2026' printed on the caseback crystal, priced at 41,200 euros, or $43,761 in the United States.

One specification has changed on paper. Launch-era coverage gave the 5167A 120 meters of water resistance, while Patek's current pages for the 5167A-001 and 5167A-014 list 30 meters.

The numbers

Reference

5167A-001 (bracelet version 5167/1A)

Caliber

315 S C (2007), 324 S C (from about 2008), 26-330 S C (current: 27 mm, 207 parts, 30 jewels, 4 Hz, 35 to 45 hours)

Case

Steel, 40.8 mm (10 to 4 o'clock), 8.1 mm thick

Water resistance

120 m in launch-era coverage; 30 m on Patek's current page

Production

2007 to present; production numbers not disclosed

Limited editions

Singapore 2019: 500 pieces; Milan 2026 (5167A-014): 250 pieces

Timeline

1. 1996

   A yellow gold 5060/S, a Nautilus redesign seen as the bridge to the Aquanaut, appears in ads.

2. 1997

   Patek Philippe launches the Aquanaut with the steel ref. 5060A, at CHF 6,900.

3. 1998

   The larger 5065A, nicknamed 'Jumbo,' joins the line.

4. 2007

   For the 10th anniversary, Patek introduces the 40.8 mm 5167A and the smaller 5165A, with a refined dial, a reshaped strap and a new clasp.

5. 2008

   The steel-bracelet 5167/1A arrives, and the caliber 324 S C replaces the 315 S C.

6. 2009

   A rose gold 5167R with a chocolate dial joins the line.

7. 2011

   The Aquanaut Travel Time 5164A adds the first serial complication, and a clients-only khaki 5167A-010 is issued.

8. 2015

   A khaki 5167A-010 hammers for CHF 52,500 at auction in Geneva.

9. 2017

   For the 20th anniversary, Patek introduces the white gold 'Jumbo' 5168G and the Advanced Research 5650G.

10. 2018

    The Aquanaut Chronograph 5968A launches with orange accents.

11. Sep 26, 2019

    Patek announces a 500-piece red-accented 5167A for its Singapore Grand Exhibition.

12. Aug 2022

    The U.S. list price of a 5167A is $21,650, while secondhand examples trade for $70,000 and more.

13. 2026

    Patek announces a 250-piece blue 5167A-014 for its Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan, scheduled for October 2 to 18, 2026.

The world in 2007

• Jan 1, 2007

  Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union, and Slovenia adopts the euro.

• Jan 9, 2007

  Steve Jobs unveils the original iPhone.

• Feb 2, 2007

  The IPCC's fourth assessment finds climate change 'very likely' caused by humans.

• Jun 29, 2007

  The iPhone goes on sale.

• Aug 9, 2007

  BNP Paribas freezes withdrawals from hedge funds, an early signal of the 2008 financial crisis.

• Dec 13, 2007

  European Union leaders sign the Treaty of Lisbon.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5167A is number 58 of 100 in the watches entries of the FLOAT 100. 54 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (26 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The first Aquanaut's clasp said 'Nautilus,' not 'Aquanaut.'
• Patek marketed the Aquanaut's rubber-like strap as tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as hypoallergenic.
• You size an Aquanaut strap by cutting it, so the adjustment cannot be undone.
• In the 2007 redesign Patek removed the numeral '3' from the dial so the date window could sit closer to the center.
• The first Aquanaut cost about $5,000 in 1997, when a Patek perpetual calendar cost at least $45,000.
• A clients-only khaki 5167A from 2011 made its matching green rubber strap a collector item in its own right.