Watches and Wonders 2024: Patek Philippe puts denim on the map with new Nautilus, Aquanaut 

Gloria Fung looks into a surprising choice of material Patek Philippe has picked for its latest watches

Patek Philippe has been surprising collectors over the past year with its seemingly unusual colour choices for some of its timepieces with the pastel purple and blue Calatravas. At Watches and Wonders this year, the Swiss watchmaker ups the ante, dressing its Patek Seal-certified watches in Canadian tuxedos. Patek Philippe launched two new references that feature a blue dial and come complete with denim straps, which certainly surprised many. 

Not a material that’s generally associated with luxury, but with Patek Philippe putting its magic touch on it, denim could be the next biggest trend in the luxury watch world. 

After discontinuing the rose gold Nautilus 5980, Patek Philippe unveils a new monopusher chronograph reference in white gold. A single pushpiece controls the 60-minute and 12-hour counters that share a subdial at 6 o’clock. The piece features the Nautilus’ iconic grooved dial in bluish grey hue inside the 40.55 mm white gold case. The matching blue jean strap is fitted with a deployment buckle. 

The World Time is another familiar face from Patek Philippe this year that’s dressed blue. The piece is a continuation of the limited edition World Time Date reference 5530 that was released for last year’s Grand Exhibition in Tokyo. In a similar colourway to the 5980, the World Timer’s dial features date, 24-hour time zone indication, and home time rings around a chequered centre. 

The in-house 240 HU C calibre, with a 48-hour power reserve, is housed inside the 40 mm case. And that unmistakable blue denim strap makes an appearance again here, fastened with a folded white gold buckle. 

In the same shade, albeit sans jeans, is the Aquanaut 5164G, with its travel time movement making a comeback. The sporty timepiece is reinvented in white gold, bearing that similar blue-grey tone that Patek seems to be triple downing on this year. The Travel Time continues to shine with the simplicity in which it signals home and away hours. The day/night indications for home and away cities are set on either side of the dial, in white for day and blue for night. Two-hour hands indicating home and away time are positioned together in the main dial, with one hand hollowed to differentiate, while the sub-dial at six o’clock points to the date.

Also see: Watches and Wonders 2024: The skinny on Jaeger Le-Coultre’s reimagined ultra thin perpetual calendar