So just seen the "new" price is RRP of £15110.
What is the actual process of purchasing such a watch (In London if that helps). Do you go to any AD and 'register'? How long are wait times IRC <3y?
Whats stopping you registering with multiple ADs?
You will be lucky if anyone will add you to a waiting list, if you do, it will be 5+ years if ever. When I spoke to Watches of Switzerland they suggested you needed a solid PP purchase history to even have a sniff, in their words, buy three Calatravas and you might get on the list.
These are hens teeth, even more so that as soon as you buy it it will double in price
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Just go into any shop selling PP, from Argos to H. Samuels. Negotiate a substantial discount, generally 50% if you’re buying two or more. Don’t forget to ask for interest free credit for the balance. Hand over your cash and walk away with the PP of your choice. No drama, no fuss. Lucky lad. Bingo.
Last edited by seabiscuit; 28th August 2019 at 06:56.
Don’t waste your time.
£15k could buy you a nice BLRO on the grey market. No rubber strap though...
I do wonder if Patek are selling anything other than aquanauts and nautilus models at the moment.Originally Posted by peterdo
The Owners said that they limit the amount of steel models produced to ensure they do not become know for just one or two models, taking a crafty swipe at Audemars who have become in the market a one model pony, the offshore.
Appears though that by limiting the amount of steel model production they are in fact turning into Audemars and if this trend continues, they will become a one or two model brand.
Being really Frank here, as an ex 5167 owner the watch is totally 'meh'. It isn't particularly refined, doesn't hack, has a low power reserve. For £15k there is a heck of a lot higher quality stuff you could get out there. But re the question in hand - if in the UK you need a big purchasing history. In non-western Asia (so not Singapore/Hong Kong but instead places like Taiwan) you can get one more easily - Patek AD in Taipei (where I am currently on holiday) had one available yesterday on bracelet for around £17.2k or so which is RRP here. You can buy the rubber and deployant together for another £1200 or so. You would get a 5% tax rebate on that but then need to pay 20% VAT upon return to the UK. So would cost you around £19k all in for 5167 with both bracelet and rubber/deployant.
Apparently local market doesn't view this as a 'proper' Patek so it is less popular than the complications and also the Calatravas. Precious metal is the way to go here.
No Nautilus though.
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Last edited by ryanb741; 28th August 2019 at 10:43.
Camping outside of the chosen AD helps. Or so I hear.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Both the Nautilus and Aquanaut are seriously over-hyped. No other manufacturer would get away with it. I had a new 5711, after a two-year wait, but was profoundly disappointed; the bezel is a scratch magnet, the whole watch feels a bit flimsy, the clasp is a cheap-feeling disgrace. The whole product lacked that crucial feel of durability. Harsh? Maybe, but that’s how I felt.
These watches are not ‘real’ Patek in terms of quality, but goodness, some punters couldn’t care less. Patek ruthlessly exploits that.
Last edited by paskinner; 28th August 2019 at 11:46.
I know it’s a 12 year wait for a 5712. Hence why the sell in the grey market for over 70k new, double the price.
I have to agree, I remember putting 5712 on wrist for first time and first reaction was that Seiko has less flimsy feeling bracelet than this, the watch is imo nice otherwise but compared to RO bracelet it just felt extremely bad.
An interesting discussion from previous owners, which I'm not, though I've at least managed to try a Nautilus on. I didn't get past 'too big for me'. I guess you are buying something that's extremely close to the 70s original, which is both a blessing and a curse. The philosophy of bracelets and clasps, not to mention movements has moved on a great deal since then. It's a bit like buying a perfect recreation of an iconic vintage car - charmingly original but also slower and more dangerous than a modern version. Nonetheless, it's a hard balance to strike and iconic designs so often get ruined by 'upgrading' them for modern tastes. You only have to look at the current Royal Oak or even ROO - though at least they offer a choice with the 15202ST, if you can stretch to it. It may come as a surprise that the original watch is so light and thin, with an insubstantial bracelet, particularly in an era when we've become convinced that bulky and heavy must mean better. But that original svelte Genta design is the reason you're buying it, surely?
Watches are individual things. Personally, I love the 5711 and the 5167. Each to their own, I'll keep mine :)
It's just a matter of time...
As a previous owner. I sold mine this year to the 2nd hand market for a deal that made the dealer happy, and me happy to. I’ve been able to purchase 3 high grade watches and leave some change as well from the proceeds.
Think carefully why you want this one.
It it is a fine timepiece but way over inflated in price (IMHO). Strange watch market we belong to.
Martyn.
You never actually own a Patek - because you can't actually buy one in the first place..
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Scott, I must have missed your 5167 incoming. Congrats on the pickup! Especially before another price rise.
LOL
This thread surprises me. The main thought is that if you price it right, you can sell a Rolex within a couple of days but the high priced PP can take months to sell, which seems a bit weird.
Also last year I did a tour of the Danube and called in to 3 PP retailers and they all had plenty for sale and were dropping hints at price reductions. This was for the modern, but rather old fashioned looking 5205. I had no interest in the Nautilus or Aquanaut and these did seem in short supply.
To be honest, I preferred Rolex and walked away.
I took my son into my local PP to buy a 5711
* 'can i help ?'
* 'yes my son is 21 next month so i would like to buy him a Nautilus 5711'
* ' pffffttt but sir they are to order only and take a significant amount of time to arrive pffffttttt'
* 'yes I know its for his 50th'
I've owned several Aquanaut and Nautilus. Wish I'd kept them for financial reasons (!), but other than that the hype is hard to justify for reasons already indicated. I heard a comment somewhere about Hublot along the lines that all the value is tied up in the price, and I think that applies to a certain extent here. I'd love to know who is paying these over-inflated prices for Aquanaut. Never come across anyone who's admitted to it.
Similar here a few years ago, I had a 5711 in my hand at my local AD, I could have bought it and wish I had now in light of the price madness however I just thought it was too flimsy and unsubstantial.
I think my chances of getting an Aquanaut are probably usefully better than getting a new hot Rolex, for no other reason than I have a good history of buying expensive jewellery from the local Patek AD. I'm thinking about it, as Rolex is so closed off at the moment, but then the Aquanaut is such an underwhelming watch, or at least that is my impression, never having handled one.
Dave
I think there’s a lot of truth in “all the value is tied up in the price”.
Anyone know what kind of prices WF are offering for Aquanaut/Nautilus? It's all well and good for dealers offering Nautilus at 70k but how much mark up is being applied?
I have always liked the look of the aquanaut on online pics and was thinking of purchasing one at some point.
I went to see the Patek exhibition a few years ago at the Saachi Gallery and then made my way to the Patek boutique in Bond Street. They had an aquanaut with the steel strap which I tried on. Left feeling underwhelmed by the model and felt it somehow didn’t warrant the approx 13K price tag at the time.
Just had a look at current prices and wow never expected that!
Ask them.
hahaha , brilliant
Brilliant! Lol
- - - Updated - - -
Lol
Around £19k for a 5167
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When I was looking for an Aquanaut I tried the 5168g but it felt too big so wanted to try the 5167a. The only place I could try was in a grey dealer who had one on bracelet. I absolutely hated the bracelet, I thought it was light, flimsy and tinny and visually was unattractive. When I went to collect my 5167a on rubber it was like trying on a completely different watch, it is still very light and the clasp is a bit dodgy but I love it.
I certainly wouldn’t pay over retail for it though.
Hahahaha that’s brilliant
These are eye openers as you can’t even handle one in store as they don’t exist in ADs. I have an AP and the bracelet is what makes the watch special, it weighs a tonne, shines in the light like a disco ball with the different finishes and clicks on closing with absolute purpose. If I’d spent £21k on a watch that felt flimsy I would’ve been gutted!
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Anything from 5-18% which is a very tight and keen margin once you factor in the associated costs of selling and alot less than the AD marked them up at Point of Purchase!
RIAC
There is always the lucky punter my advice is to keep trying you may be lucky
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Exactly - be optimistic but not obsessive, make a little effort to get on a list / nab one at an airport, but don't go OTT. It's a pretty normal watch from everything that's been said in this thread and elsewhere
It strikes me that the secondary market in very high priced watches (I won’t say high value; the concept seems meaningless at these levels) is probably an excellent place to launder money.
A Patek at an airport? I think not!
It is an absolutely superb place to launder money if you have the patience.
I was lucky to buy my Aquanaut a few years ago. It was/is my dream watch. The world today is now different, few people wanted them back then. I tried PP in Old Bond street earlier in the the year for another sports PP. Their recommendation was to pop in during the spring ahead of the big watch fairs. So it felt all about timing.
Watches are such individual things. Several posters have said that they were disappointed by the aquanaut, but when I first tried one on, I thought it was the most beautiful watch I'd ever handled.
I ended up buying the travel time version, a 5164 in steel, a few weeks ago. I got this model because it's slightly thicker and heavier than the 5167 and I like the added complication.
It looks very different in the flesh than in pics, IMO and is, to me at least, a thing of absolute beauty. Like everyone else on here, I've been into watches most of my life and owned dozens, most of the usual suspects, Rolex etc and some higher value pieces. This 5164 just blows them away in terms of finishing and detail, AFAIAC.
I tried on a few other watches before settling on the 5164, indeed I asked for some advice on this forum and was pointed towards VC, AP, Lange ... I liked the Datograph but at 60k I couldn't justify it and the steel VC's and AP's just didn't do it for me. They felt manufactured in a way that the Patek doesn't. At least for me. That's not based on any knowledge on my part, perhaps those watches are hand finished to the same extent as a Patek, they just didn't feel like it to me.
My opinion as a new owner, for what it's worth, is that the watch probably will scratch over time (no more than the PCL's on a Rolex though) and perhaps it does feel a little more delicate than a lot of the other watches I have owned, although I think that's my perception, rather than a fact.
I particularly love that you don't see many of them around. I really like that only a few people will ever know what it is. I can stare at the dial for about 20 minutes without getting bored. And I'll use the travel complication all the time as I go abroad a lot for work. I also have a thing for watches with rubber straps.
I get that people have wildly different tastes and views on watches and everything else for that matter, but I don't think you can make a judgement on this watch until you've seen one in the flesh and held it in your hands. It might not have been a watch I'd ever have got excited about if I'd just seen pictures, but now I can't imagine there being another watch out there that I like as much and that includes all the Nautilus variants.
Dare I say it, this could be the end game for me ... then again, maybe a Lange if I can get a good deal, or an understated day date in white gold ... never say never.
Anything from 5-15% as is normal in any business, in fact its very low when compared to most consumer items you buy
RIAC
Seriously disagree with some of the comments on here. The aquanaut is absolutely brilliant, particularly the 5167A. It’s the best everyday all day watch around period. People say the sub is the most versatile, i disagree. The aquanaut literally and i mean literally goes from the boardroom to the beach. It has more than enough water resistance as well, 20m more than an equivalent oyster perpetual, or any Rolex Steel watch which people can agree are bullet proof. You strap a submariner in the boardroom and unless it’s vintage ur gonna appear a total noob. Let alone wearing a diving watch with a bespoke suit, forget about it.
The movement is rock solid, thin, svelte robust. It’s light and super comfy on the rubber strap, lume is amazing, it’s jus the best 3 hander period. IMHO ofc.
That is rock solid nonsense.
This is genuinely a big selling point. A lot of people worry about wearing their watches in the real world, weirdly would worry less with an aquanaut than most other watches. Calatrava too - huge stealth wealth situations
Do people really care what others think in a boardroom. I buy a watch because I like it. I’ve worn green subs, BLNR GMT, big pilot, yellow dial Aerospace to name just a few and no one notices. My CEO (of a bank) wears a two tone Sub, previously had a omega diver. I think it’s just WIS types that think it matters.
Personally my favourite is the Ceramic sub. Hides scratches, marks very well, can get the right fit no matter what the weather. I tried the 5167 in a Verona AD a few years ago and did like it and it felt premium but it did feel like it could be a scratch magnet and for that money it would stress my OCD,
Andy
Am I the only one here who doesn't even frequent a boardroom?
You’re a lucky man ;)
Some photos would be good when you get the chance. Hoping to pick mine up next year.
The 5167A is a brilliant watch I agree, I really enjoy mine - I wear it a lot and it suits most situations. I'd still choose a Rolex for the beach though, but that's just personal preference. I don't frequent board rooms.
What a completely ridiculous statement.
Nice enough watch, but too diddy and delicate. Sold mine - too cheaply! - for a 5712. Sold that too, along with the 5711. A bit of a theme going on. Nice range, but that’s all. Damning faint praise perhaps.
Yup bang on, £59k offered.
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