Patek Philippe know how to make sporty luxury

This year’s Baselworld 2018 brought us many things from the swanky Patek Philippe maison including the launch of their Instagram account – a sign that the independent Genevan watch brand is finally embracing the world of social media. They also introduced the first chronograph to the sporty Aquanaut collection.

Originally created in 1997, this line of sporty watches is a unique offering for the brand, simply because of its casual elegance. Considered one of the most prestigious and coveted luxury watch brands among collectors and watch experts, Patek Philippe have created a line of dynamic and more youthful timepieces for the adventurous and active. The new chronograph features a self-winding flyback chronograph with a quarter-second display and is water resistant to 120 metres. Due to the chronograph’s column-wheel control and vertical disc clutch, no matter what sport or activity you’re doing, any hand bounce or rebound when starting the chronograph will be prevented.

Juxtaposed against a black embossed dial, the orange chronograph display features a 60-minute counter, a large chronograph hand and a railway track minute scale. The numerals have been applied with white gold and a luminescent coating and the dial also features broad baton hands, making it incredibly legible. For a comfier fit, a new patented fold-over clasp has been introduced with four independent catches and the straps are resistant to abrasion, salt water and UV radiation. The black strap comes as a standard issue but there is also a bolder orange strap, which brings out all the design elements.

We’re also massively into Patek Philippe’s first perpetual calendar (read: it automatically recognises the number of days in each month – yes even leap day) to join the Nautilus collection. This elegant and classic white gold timepiece is enviably slim (measuring in at 8.32 mm thick) – the brand’s thinnest perpetual calendar – and combines casual sportiness with the technical prowess the brand is so famous for. It’s water-resistant to 60 metres and features the iconic porthole-inspired case design with raised horizontal embossing and sunburst blue on the dial as well as self-winding caliber 240 movement and recessed 22k gold minirotor viewable through the sapphire crystal caseback. For legibility, the hour and minute hands as well as the white-gold hour markers feature luminescent coatings. The three perpetual calendar dials show the day of the week (slightly larger than the others dials for ease of reading) and a 24-hour display at 9 o’clock, month and leap-year cycle at 3 o’clock, date and moon phases at 6 o’clock.

For more on Patek Philippe’s Baselworld 2018 novelties, visit patek.com