Page 15 - Reside Magazine Premier Central Florida

Reside — Central Florida Edition

LUXURY

Perfectly imperfect

A one-of-a-kind timepiece proves that less can mean more

It is a pleasing peculiarity of high-end reveals itself by its absence: a space where
wristwear that a slight discrepancy can mean the 53-second mark should be. It is a detail
the world to collectors. The smallest flaw, only the owner will notice and the sole
much like upside-down numeration on a known example of this discreet flaw, making
postage stamp, can make a watch more an already rare Patek Philippe a genuine
sought-after than its pristine counterparts. one-of-a-kind for the astute collector.
A one-off Patek Philippe Aquanaut, now Thor Svaboe writes about watches
available at Sotheby’s Salon at Bucherer, for publications including British GQ,
Zürich, is a fine example of this principle. Wallpaper*, and Oracle Time
The Aquanaut is a nigh-on perfect sports The Salon is Sotheby’s luxury retail
watch but, as with many forward-thinking experience where collectors can buy
designs, it was met with raised eyebrows from a selection of watches, jewelry,
by some in the watch community at its 1997 sneakers, leather goods, fine wines,
launch. Today, precious-metal wristwatches and fine art at a fixed price. Visit the
paired with the soft comfort of a rubber strap Salon’s locations at Bucherer, Zürich,
are highly coveted, and this can be traced to and Sotheby’s London and New York
the original Aquanaut, an unexpected release
and trendsetting disruptor by the brand’s
own standards. As a stablemate to the
Nautilus, it enabled Patek to cross over
into a new arena of casual luxury.
The later white-gold Ref.5650G-001 at Above right: The Patek Philippe Aquanaut.
the Salon, created by the brand’s Advanced Below: The Salon at Bucherer, Zürich
Research department in 2017, delivers on
these aesthetics, debuting a deep-blue dial
with matching rubber strap. Against the dial,
the gently rounded octagonal bezel is an
elegant juxtaposition. Each 18-carat white-
gold, lume-filled numeral offers legibility.
And, thanks to the Caliber 324 FUS
movement, when touching down in a new
time zone a deft click or two of the pushers
puts you on track for your first meeting.
Patek launched its Advanced Research
initiative in 2005 to explore such horological
innovations. The resulting functionality is laid
bare here through the framed cut-out on the
left side of the dial, revealing the micro-
Photos: Courtesy of Casa Dragones. for this model. Another tell-tale sign of its
architecture and steel mechanism developed
significance is the capitalized “Advanced
Research” wording within the date sub-dial,
which is a signature of the 500-edition run.
But it is just above the exposed part of
the dial that the watch’s most unusual feature

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