Insider: Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164A-001. Hands-on with a Travel Companion Perfectly Suited for Summer Adventures.

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164/1A-001 is for sure one of our favorite Aquanauts and one that is definitely worth reviewing hands-on. The Patek ref. 5164 is fitted with a very similar movement as the Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5990 —we reviewed here—, but without the 60-minute chronograph complication. Regardless, this model in the Aquanaut collection, brings the best from Patek Philippe to the table. The Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164 is available in stainless steel or in 18K rose gold —launched earlier this year and reviewed by us here.

The Dial & Case

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut ref. 5164A-001 is fitted with a stainless steel case measuring 40.8 mm in diameter —0.8 mm larger than the ref. 5167 we featured here— with highly polished and satin-brushed finished areas and a slightly rounded octagonal shape. The ref. 5164 features the same type of embossed black dial —ruthenium looking with a brownish hue— as the ref. 5167 with white gold applied Arabic numerals and a white minute track. Since its launch, the dial on the Aquanaut was meant to replicate the attractive texture of its tropical the strap. This replica watch is fitted with a screw-down crown and is water resistant to a 120 meters, making it a perfect companion for the pool, as you travel around Bali or Moorea.

While maintaining the look of the Aquanaut line, the dial features a dual time zone indicating ‘local’ and ‘home’ time with day/night apertures —white for the day and dark blue for the night— at 3 and 9 o’clock, a date indicator for the local time at 6 o’clock and an second time zone hand for the ‘local’ travel time.

The properly display a second time zone, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164A-001 has two hour hands on the same axis. The lower one is skeletonized, and the upper one matches the style of the minute hand.

The skeleton hand displays home time while the solid hour hand indicates local time. At home, where both times are identical, the two hands are superposed.

The Pushers & Date Corrector

When the owner moves to another time zone, the hour hand for ‘local’ time —travel time— can be adjusted in one-hour steps with the pushers on the left caseband. While the top pusher advances the independent travel time hand, the one below, backs it. On eastbound trips toward the sun, the local-time hand must be adjusted counterclockwise and incremented in the opposite direction when traveling westbound. The skeleton hour hand is not affected by such corrections and continues to display ‘home time’. Lastly, with the end user in mind, Patek Philippe added a date corrector at 4 o’clock to ease the date setting operation.

The Movement

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time ref. 5164R-001 is powered by the automatic movement calibre 324 S C FUS with dual time zone mechanism indicating local and home time, local and “home” day/night indications in apertures and local date by hand. The movement is composed of 294 parts, 29 jewels and beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph to provide a power reserve of 45 hours. The movement is fully visible via the display case back.

On the Wrist & Pricing

On the wrist, the replica watch wears true to its size and with a very sporty wrist presence. If you are a world travelers and someone that likes to keep track of two time zones just becasue, this Patek Aquanaut Travel Time has your name written all over it. Its rubber strap, is extremely comfortable and perfectly suited for summer adventures.

Sticker Price $34,000 USD. For more info on Patek Philippe click here.