Patek Philippe Aquanuat Ref. 5060SJ - 'Aquanautilus' Box & Papers
The first Aquanaut was officially launched in 1997 and paid tribute to its older brother, the Nautilus, by way of its overall sporting appearance, and its bezel shape — and thats about it. Gone were the porthole-style 'ears' and in with more traditional lugs — allowing for a more conventional (and versatile) wearing experience.
But if you rewind just one year to 1996, Patek had released the first Nautilus with lugs, the Reference 5060J, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the model line. Early advertisements confirm that these were indeed offered within the Nautilus family, while visually, there were an Aquanaut in almost every way as we know them today. So, for just about one year, the Aquanaut was actually a Nautilus.... Henceforth, the early pieces have become known to collectors as 'Aquanautilus' (Aquanautilii?).
Additionally, being the 1990s, for the first few years the Ref. 5060 and 5065 offered Tritium dials that have already and will continue to age beautifully over years of wear and use.
The example that we have here, a Reference 5060SJ, features an unpolished yellow gold case, exhibiting honest wear and a gorgeous 'rosy' patina throughout. Inside, it has a gloss black dial with applied Tritium-filled yellow gold 'Roman' indices with a matching 'feuille' handset, and Patek's Calibre 330 SC automatic-winding movement - visible via the sapphire exhibition caseback. It comes in at 35mm in diameter, which makes for an excellent wearing experience for virtually any wrist!
Furthermore, this piece retains its boxes, booklets, signed leather folder, and certificate of origin dated 2001.
*Some marks or spots on the dial are reflections or dust on the crystal and are due to high intensity strobe lighting used while photographing. They are not actually on the watch or visible in natural lighting.
Case
Condition
Movement
Bracelet
Shipping, Returns, & Warranty
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Returns (accepted within 3 days of initial delivery of your purchase) must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. For payments via Credit Card, a 5% restocking fee will be in place for any returns or cancellations in order to cover our processing fee. Of course, watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.
If you happen to trade a watch with us, which we welcome, trades are final, except of course if the watch is grossly misdescribed or misrepresented.
We back each Oliver & Clarke timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty starting at the date of first delivery. We service or perform necessary maintenance to the extent necessary to all of our watches, unless otherwise noted. All watches are listed and sold running and functioning as intended.
*Please note that due to the vintage or antique nature of many of our watches, these machines may not run as accurately as they did when new, nor will any mechanical timepiece keep time as accurately as a quartz or electronic device.
We do not guarantee water resistance, thus do not warranty against moisture incursion or water damage.
*We also do not recommend deliberate exposure to water or worse - steam!
Our warranty is voided under the following circumstances:
- Internal or external damage caused by an accident, mishandling, abuse, modification, or handling/service performed by a third party individual other than one of our own.
Our warranty is non-transferable.
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Through rigorous vetting of each watch offered, we’re able to guarantee authenticity of our pieces. Ultimately, your satisfaction is our mission, as is helping you get YOUR perfect watch. If you have any questions at all, we will get back to you ASAP.
Each of our timepieces are vetted, evaluated, authenticated, and approved by our experienced team prior to sale. We guarantee the period-correctness of all components unless otherwise disclosed. We guarantee the authenticity of each watch in perpetuity.
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From Rolex & Patek Philippe, to Cartier & Audemars Piguet. As collectors first, we love the small details that separate the Submariner from Daytona and Calatrava from Royal Oak. This is why you'll find our curated assortment spans decades of generations of models and brands. We believe that watches don't just tell time, they tell history - and life is too short to wear a boring watch.
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