Patek Philippe’s Advanced Research Program stems from the development of silicon components, for use in watchmaking. Following years of extensive research work at the
Centre Suisse d’Electronique et Microtechnique (
CSEM),
Patek Philippe introduced their first silicon component in 2005 – an escapement wheel made from
Silinvar. A year later, the
Spiromax balance spring (constructed from
Silinvar) was introduced in a limited-edition reference - now widely used by
Patek Philippe throughout the collection. It is these advancements that represent the objectives of the project, indicating the brand’s intentions for the compliant mechanism and other developments seen in the
5650G.
Released in 1997, the
Aquanaut was the first
Patek Philippe to be fitted with a rubber strap. The
Aquanaut re-interprets a number of signature design elements from the highly successful
Nautilus - most notably, the octagonal rounded bezel. It displays a high level of finishing, with brushed surfaces on the case front, and polished, bevelled edges. In this example, the white-gold, three-piece case (measuring 40.8mm in diameter) of the
5650G provides water resistance up to 120m.
The hand-finished "compliant mechanism" is visible in an open section at 9 o’clock on the dial (made up of four crossed leaf springs) - introduced in this reference, lowering the number of parts required to make a GMT switching mechanism from 37, to just 12 parts (for the whole assembly). This is made feasible through the use of computer simulations and highly-technical manufacturing techniques - using no gears or pivots, and crafted from a single piece of steel, rather than precious metal or an exotic alloy. The added benefit is the lack of friction in the system, requiring no conventional lubricants and improving durability.
The blue dial has a gradient to black on its outer edges, embossed with familiar
Aquanaut patterning. Alongside the open section at 9 o’clock, displays are also visible for the local date at 6 o’clock (with '
Advanced Research' denoted) and a day/night indicator for two time zones at 3 and 9 o’clock, respectively. Numerals are applied (as with other modern
Aquanauts) and crafted from 18k white-gold, filled with a white-coloured luminous material to match the dial and hands.
The reference
5650G-001 integrates
Patek Philippe’s latest iteration of the
Spiromax balance spring, making use of a new inner terminal curve. With this addition, an impressive stability rate of just -1/+2 seconds per day is achieved. The watch carries the Calibre 324 S C FUS - a 29-jewel, automatic-winding movement that is superbly finished, with exquisite chamfering on all angles, polishing and decoration in the form of Geneva striping, bearing the
Patek Philippe seal. The movement beats at 28,800 A/h, with a power-reserve of approximately 45 hours.
This
Patek Philippe 5650G-001 comes on its original checkerboard rubber strap (brand new and uncut) and corresponding white-gold deployant-clasp. The watch is full-set, with its original box, Certificate of Origin and product literature from the manufacture (dated October, 2017). With only 500 examples produced, this rare limited-edition
Aquanaut represents an exceptionally desirable and mechanically interesting variant of a highly-collectible modern
Patek Philippe.
Viewings can be arranged in Central London by appointment.
