It’s a fact, everyone except Premier League footballers is broke after Christmas, and living in fear of the incendiary bomb effect of the credit card bill landing on the doormat. So we thought for our latest edition of YPCAI, You Probably Can’t Afford It, we would ease you in gently with a watch from Patek Philippe which can be acquired online for a trifling $36,000.
Introduced in 1997, the magnificent Patek Philippe Aquanaut collection celebrated its 10th anniversary with a new model in an exclusive design. It is known as the Ref 5167R Jumbo. The “Jumbo” or “XL” model comes in pink gold and a chocolate dial. It’s reassuringly expensive of course, but also extremely difficult to get hold of.
This gently rounded octagonal shaped watch was released in 2009 and features an automatic winding movement and a sapphire glass and caseback. The brown “Tropical” rubber bracelet with its pink gold clasp matches perfectly with the brown dial.
The 40mm watch is outlined with luminescent hour/minute hands and markers with 18k Rose Gold arabic numeral markers on the inner dial, white sweep seconds hand, and date display at 3 o’clock. Needless to say, there’s a see through sapphire window on the caseback with which to view the Calibre 324 S C automatic movement, which has a 45 hour power reserve.
The 5167 replaced the 5065 Aquanaut as the largest in the collection, and although it is referred to as a jumbo, it is really an outstandingly elegant dress/sports watch, sensibly sized and water resistant to 120 metres.
The tropical brown composite strap with an 18k gold deployment clasp, is designed to be cut for a perfect fit. The Aquanaut Jumbo also comes in steel, but the rose gold is infinitely more collectable.
