Reply With QuoteIf I had an Aquanaut you'd have to prise it from my cold, dead hands before I'd give it up. And you'd have to use a crowbar!Originally Posted by Danstone
I was fortunate to pick up an Aquanaut just over a year ago before this current price craziness kicked in. I love the watch but it possibly doesn't get worn enough. For some reason I tend to favour my AP Royal Oak Offshore chrono or diver when the sporty option is required and usually the Datejust II for a more formal look. That said, I'm always pleased that it's there for me when I want it and, when I do put it on, I understand completely why I was drawn to it in the first place.
I was looking at the dealers last night and see that Watchfinder are currently asking £26k for an Aquanaut. Seems crazy to me for a three hander in steel, albeit a very good one. It has given me a dilemma though. With the way prices are going it may only be a couple of months before I can walk into a dealer and do a straight swap for another Patek that I've always craved, the world time 5130G.
So, what are the collective thoughts of this fine forum? Good idea or something that I'd possibly regret afterwards?
If I had an Aquanaut you'd have to prise it from my cold, dead hands before I'd give it up. And you'd have to use a crowbar!
If there’s a watch you want and you can finance it by selling a watch you don’t want then where’s the problem? I’d do it, life’s too short.
Are you thinking that the aquanaut values will continue rising and you’re worried about cashing in too soon? Edit- and you’d struggle to replace it
It is a very nice watch the aquanaut but I'd prefer nautilus
Not overly fussed about cashing in too soon. To be honest I still see the Aquanaut as a £16k watch so, of course, any gain is a welcome bonus and one that I've never had before in this mad hobby. It could possibly be that I'm concerned about the value going the other way meaning the trade wouldn't be an option. And yes, the struggle to replace if I don't bond with the 5130G is a consideration.
I was amused by Tim Mosso's assessment on 'Watchbox'. His view was ''if the Nautilus is an Audi then the Aquanaut is a Skoda.''
My feeling is that Pateks' real excellence is better shown in their complications. So, I'd be inclined to sell or trade up. Nice dilemma to have.
Last edited by paskinner; 18th September 2018 at 12:29.
I’ve just traded mine for a Breguet Marine & cash as I couldn’t afford to ignore the value the watch has gained. Watchfinder values are waaaaay of the mark & they don’t seem t be able to shift them at the price they are asking.
I will have a PP again at some point but having had the 5167 i would go for something akin to the 5130.
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I wouldn’t hesitate to move it along for a proper Patel. Do it.
I’d choose 5146 rather than worldtime thingy.
I (like many others) have watches worth far more than they cost purely because the demand has outstripped supply and people have been prepared to pay the premiums. For most of us I suspect initially it was more by accident than design, though in the last couple of years that's changed. I wear mine and enjoy them. If that changed I'd sell them as what's the point? Get something you really want.
I remember some years ago how Patek owners used to snigger and look down on those pesky 'entry' level sports steel, three hander watches. Heck they used to chide the owners of said watches and encourage them to trade up to a 'proper' Patek with a complication or precious metal case. Times have changed somewhat, but I still think the sentiment kinda holds true. The world timers are quintessential Patek IMO, so if the styling works go for it. I'm still staggering at how the Aquanaut/Nautilus prices keep rising, it cannot go on, yet who knows where the market will stabilise?
Is a “Patel” one of those corner shop fakes?
Only teasing Ally and spot on with your comment on the 5146. Like many watch enthusiasts , the Patek Nautilus and Aquanaut fail to attract me in anyway and it is difficult to grasp why the demand for these models is so high, I always felt that Patek was all about the complications.
I sold my 5167 last year, just before the market truly went mental.
Do I regret selling it? No, it helps get my son onto the housing ladder, so that in itself was worth more than any more profit there would have been in it by holding onto it.
I hope I get more luck with an Aquanut than a Daytona, hoping to put my name down next time I’m in the. U.K. and get one in a few years ideally
As in Skodas do everything Audis do but without the cost or pretension, and with better customer service and satisfaction?
"A man of little significance"
I am in a similar situation that what makes me happy, horologically speaking, is a finer finished watch than having a quantity of others. So with the increasing prices from traders on Rolex I am thinking that my BLNR is going to go, and along with the sale of something else I will use that value to trade up. Either a VC Overseas Gen 3 time only, or a Patek 5296 Sector dial is on my list. If I were in your position I would buy something I really wanted with the value going up and the extra cash it gives you.
5130 is a great shout. I would do that. But after I buy a 5712.
What a lovely problem to have... Good luck deciding!
Second this
I agree... it's a tricky one...
https://www.pataks.co.uk/products/spice-pastes
M
You may want to get a quote from watchfinder before going much further. I bet it’s a lot less than their selling price. Do keep up posted!
Have you looked at Grand Seiko? It might be that you could buy a decent s/h spring drive or Hi-Beat and not have to sell the BLNR. The craftsmanship, engineering, accuracy and finishing is superior to Rolex. Still quirky in its own right and I'd say perfect alongside a Rolex (although I now wear my GS more than my 42mm Exp2).
"A man of little significance"
If you had £25k cash now, and could buy either a 5130 or an Aquanaut, which would you get? It sounds like the world timer given you said it's the watch you've always craved. The fact you currently own the Aquanaut is, transaction costs notwithstanding, not important.
Plus it’s the same company but the Skoda Superb beats most Audi’s, aren’t Audi’s the new cocks? According to Clarkson et al
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I'd have thought Clarkson's opinion of a car would do it more harm than good.
"A man of little significance"
I probably should have mentioned that one of the other watches that may go is the Breguet Marine so if anything it's the Batman that should go!
I'm quite sold on a Geneva Seal movement so I think the VC Overseas is probably the way I'm leaning.
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They started at £15k with me for an identical 5167 as they had listed for over £22k.
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Wow, even for WF, a £7k uplift is quite cheeky!
Very - I called them & asked them if they were serious & would they like to reconsider. They requoted for £17k by which time I ignored them & traded instead. If they hoover up the market this’ll be terrible going forward for the used market.
Thanks everyone for your comments. Hadn’t really considered the annual calendar before but it’s certainly growing on me. I think this one is going to take a lot of thinking about as I don’t want to get it wrong.
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