Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce, 5269/200R (2022)

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce - One of the most popular ladies' watches on the market

The legendary Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167/1A-001 has its roots in the late 1990s. Between 1994 and 2000, the Internet became increasingly popular and gave rise to many new, innovative companies. The stock markets were in a veritable gold rush atmosphere and euphoria about the "New Economy". The companies on the so-called "New Market" were sometimes subject to astronomical valuations and made some founders multimillionaires in record time. Patek Philippe took advantage of this opportunity and launched the Aquanaut in 1997 to appeal to young and successful entrepreneurs.

At the premiere of the Aquanaut, Patek Philippe President Philippe Stern spoke of a modern wristwatch that would allow a younger target group to "begin a wonderful friendship with Patek Philippe without sacrificing the traditional quality criteria of the watchmaking crème de la crème."

Although Patek Philippe had already gained experience in the field of sports watches, it took the brand over two decades to introduce another luxury steel sports watch model alongside the already popular Nautilus from 1976. A few more models were added over the years, but the most important innovation came with the Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167/1A- 001, which marked the 10th anniversary of the product line. Initially somewhat overshadowed by the Nautilus, the Aquanaut was slow to gain popularity, but today it is one of the brand's most sought-after watches.

History of the Aquanaut Luce

Unlike the men's reference 5167, the ladies' Aquanaut Luce features a dial that resembles the dial of the first Patek Philippe Aquanaut, reference 5065, from 1997. The dial, with an embossed, raised guilloché motif that echoes the texture of the tropical natural rubber strap, is decorated with white applied Arabic numerals and a white minute track. Guilloché is a decorative technique that involves mechanically engraving a very precise, intricate and repeating pattern into the underlying material. This is done using a machine called a rose lathe.

The hands and markers are made of luminous material, and the bezel sparkles and shimmers thanks to the 48 diamonds (1.17 carats). The quality of the stones is as high as it can be: "Every gemstone that is to adorn a Patek Philippe case or bracelet - be it a diamond, ruby, sapphire or emerald - must be of the highest quality and meet the strict requirements of the Patek Philippe seal. White diamonds must correspond to the high color quality D to G, they must be flawless (have the clarity grade "IF" - for Internally Flawless) and have a flawless cut."

The Aquanaut Luce is a travel watch for women and is part of the Aquanaut line. With the Travel Time quartz movement E 23- 250 S FUS 24H (two time zones) and thanks to the discreet and practical setting options via the crown, this watch makes no compromises in terms of elegance. The rose gold case with a diameter of 38.8 mm and contrasting finishes made up of polished and satin surfaces is water-resistant to 60 meters.

The most important basic data of the watch