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.