Sell your Patek Philippe Aquanaut · South Florida · by appointment
Sell your Aquanaut to a dealer who grades the strap with the watch.
A 5167A on the tropical strap, a 5167/1A on the bracelet, a 42 mm 5168G, a 5164 Travel Time, a 5968 chronograph, or a Luce: reference, metal, dial, and the state of the strap each move the number. Send photos and the certificate. I reply within 1 business day.
- Reference, metal, and dial colour identified from your photos
- A cracked strap priced honestly, never a reason to delay
- Travel Time and chronograph movements checked in hand
Who this page is for
You own an Aquanaut. The strap is part of the appraisal.
This page is for the owner of an Aquanaut who wants to know what I will pay and whether the state of the strap changes it. Some bought a 5167A at retail and wore it in the water every weekend. Some have a 5168G still in its film. Some inherited a first-generation 5060 and are not sure which reference it is.
The Aquanaut is the one Patek where the strap is part of the value. References run from around 36 mm to 42 mm in steel, rose gold, and white gold, with a Travel Time and a chronograph, and dial colours that trade at different levels. The strap cracks with age, and sellers often replace it before writing to me. Do not.
Below: the references, the strap, what to photograph, and what moves the number. The certificate, the Extract, Patek service, and sealed versus worn in general live on the Patek Philippe page and are not repeated here.
Selling an Aquanaut to me
What an Aquanaut seller gets that a form does not.
Reference and size read first
I tell you whether yours is a 5060, 5065, 5066, 5165, 5167, 5168G, 5164, 5968, or a Luce, and which sales it is judged against.
The strap graded, not held against you
The tropical strap is checked for cracks, stiffness, and whether it is Patek's. A worn strap moves the number a little. A missing clasp moves it more.
Dial colour quoted on its own
Black on steel, brown on rose gold, blue or khaki on the 5168G, orange accents on the 5968A. Each has its own buyer.
Paid within 24 hours of inspection
Wire or check, once the watch matches the photos and the certificate. The method is settled before it leaves your hands.
What I check on an Aquanaut
Five Aquanaut-specific things that decide the offer.
Reference and case size
Around 36 mm for the 5060 and 5066, 38 mm for the 5065 and 5165, 40 mm for the 5167 and 5164, 42 mm for the 5168G and 5968.
Metal, strap, or bracelet
Steel 5167A and 5968A, rose gold 5167R and 5164R, white gold 5168G. The 5167/1A and 5167/1R on the matching bracelet are separate references.
Dial colour
Black embossed on the steel 5167A, brown on rose gold, blue or khaki green on the 5168G, orange accents on the launch 5968A.
Composite strap and clasp
The tropical strap cracks at the holes and near the clasp. The steel or gold fold-over clasp is the part that costs money if it is missing.
Travel Time and chronograph
The 5164 with its two pushers for the second time zone, and the 5968 flyback chronograph. Both checked in hand.
How it works
Four steps for an Aquanaut.
01
Get an offer
Submit the form with daylight photos: the dial straight on, the bezel at a low angle, the caseback, the strap flat on both sides so cracks and holes show, the open clasp with its hinge, and the certificate with numbers visible. I reply within 1 business day.
02
Ship or meet
Modern references travel on my prepaid, insured FedEx label, USA only. A first-generation 5060 or 5065, or any Aquanaut you would rather hand over in person, is by appointment in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach.
03
Inspect and confirm
I open the parcel on camera and check the numbers against the certificate, the dial, the bezel, the strap and clasp, and the movement. If it matches the photos, the offer stands.
04
Get paid
Wire or check within 24 hours of inspection. If we do not agree, the Aquanaut goes back to you, insured, at my cost.
The references
Aquanaut references, and what each is judged on.
| Criteria | Reference and era | What decides the offer |
|---|---|---|
| 5060A (1997, the first Aquanaut) | Around 36 mm steel, the original embossed dial and tropical strap | Original dial, strap, and clasp. An Extract if the certificate is gone. In person |
| 5065A and 5066A (late 1990s to the 2000s) | The 38 mm 5065 and the 36 mm 5066, steel, on strap or bracelet | Size, original strap or bracelet, dial condition, certificate |
| 5165 and 5167 (2007 on) | 38 mm 5165A; 40 mm 5167A steel and 5167R rose gold; 5167/1A and 5167/1R on the bracelet | Metal, strap against bracelet, dial, clasp, certificate date |
| 5168G (2017 on) | 42 mm white gold, blue dial first, khaki green later | Dial colour, unworn or worn, strap condition, every document present |
| 5164 Travel Time (2011 on) | Second time zone with day and night indicators, steel first, rose gold later | Both time zones set and tested in hand, pushers, strap, certificate |
| 5968A chronograph (2018 on) | 42 mm steel flyback chronograph, orange accents and orange strap at launch, other sets later | Chronograph run and reset in hand, dial and strap set, certificate |
| Luce: 5067A, 5267, and later automatic references | Ladies references with a diamond-set bezel, quartz earlier, automatic later | Bezel stones original, metal, dial, strap, certificate |
Directions, not figures. I show the reasoning in the reply and confirm the figure at inspection.
The detail
What moves an Aquanaut offer, and why.
The first generation: 5060, 5065, 5066
The 5060A of 1997 is the first Aquanaut: a rounded octagonal bezel like the Nautilus, an embossed dial, and a composite strap that could go in the sea, at around 36 mm. The 5065 enlarged it to 38 mm and the 5066 kept the smaller size. These are old enough that straps have been replaced, sometimes with straps that are not Patek's, and clasps swapped. I see them in person. If the certificate is gone, an Extract states the original dial and strap and is worth ordering.
The 5165 and 5167: the modern Aquanaut in steel and rose gold
In 2007 Patek Philippe reworked the Aquanaut for its tenth year. The 5165A is 38 mm and the 5167A is 40 mm, both steel with a black embossed dial. The 5167R in rose gold with a brown dial followed, and the 5167/1A and 5167/1R put the same watches on a matching bracelet, graded like a Nautilus bracelet: stretch, polished edges, missing links. On a strap version I grade the strap and clasp instead. The certificate date matters on the steel 5167A, because demand climbed alongside the Nautilus and late examples trade apart from early ones.
The 5168G: 42 mm in white gold
The 5168G of 2017 is the largest Aquanaut at 42 mm, in white gold, with a blue dial first and a khaki green dial from 2019. The two colours have their own buyers and I quote them separately. Because many were bought and kept, the offer turns on wear, the state of the strap, and whether every document and any second strap is present.
The 5164 Travel Time and the 5968 chronograph
The 5164 adds a second hour hand and two pushers on the left of the case to move it, with day and night indicators, in steel from 2011 and rose gold later. The 5968A of 2018 is the flyback chronograph in steel, orange accents and orange strap at launch, other sets later. I check both in hand: time zones set and tested, chronograph run and reset. A movement that needs a Patek Philippe service is priced with that in mind.
The tropical strap: cracks, replacements, and the clasp
Patek's composite strap resists salt water and sun better than leather, but it still ages. It cracks at the holes, stiffens, and lightens in the sun. A cracked strap lowers the offer a little and never stops the sale. Do not replace it before you write to me: a strap bought elsewhere adds nothing, and a Patek strap is a cost I would rather settle in the offer. If you kept the original after a replacement, send both. The fold-over clasp is the part that matters: steel or gold to match the case, signed, and expensive to replace. Photograph it open, hinge visible.
Sealed, worn, and which path to take
A sealed Aquanaut, film still on the case and clasp, sells into a separate market and is inspected with the film on. A worn one is graded on condition. Between those sits the common case: a 5167A worn for years, serviced once, strap replaced by Patek. That watch is bought on the certificate, the service record, the dial, and the clasp, and the strap barely moves it. Say which of the three you have.
When selling to me is not the right call
If you own a first-generation 5060A with its original strap and the time to run an auction, a dealer offer will sit below a strong result. If you want the top private-sale figure for a 5968A and can wait for the buyer, I am the faster path, not the highest. If the watch was a gift you are unsure about, keep it. If you want a documented, insured sale with one person accountable for the number, that is what I do.
How to prepare your Aquanaut submission
- The reference as written on the certificate, with the suffix, such as 5167A-001.
- The dial straight on in daylight, so black, blue, khaki, and brown read true.
- The bezel at a low angle, and the caseback with the certificate beside it, numbers visible.
- The strap flat, both sides, with the holes and any cracks in focus. Leave it on the watch.
- The open clasp, hinge visible, and the original strap if it was replaced.
- Service history: Patek Philippe, independent, or unknown, with any returned parts.
- For a 5060, 5065, 5066, or a sealed watch: say so and name your county. I will set an appointment instead of a label.
Questions, answered
Before you send an Aquanaut
My Aquanaut strap is cracked. Does that lower the offer?
A little, and it never stops the sale. Do not replace it first: a strap bought elsewhere adds nothing, and a Patek strap is a cost I settle in the offer. Photograph the cracks and the clasp and I will tell you where it lands.
Is the 5168G worth more than the 5167?
They are different watches: 42 mm white gold against 40 mm steel or rose gold. I quote each on its own comparable sales, by dial colour and condition, rather than ranking one above the other.
Do you buy the Luce?
Yes. The 5067A, the 5267, and the newer automatic Luce references, with the diamond bezel checked stone by stone. Send the reference, the dial, and the certificate.
Should I order an Extract from the Archives?
On a first-generation 5060, 5065, or 5066 without its certificate, yes, because it states the original dial and strap. On a 5167 or 5168G with a matching certificate, no. Ask me first.
Sell your Aquanaut
A considered figure on your Aquanaut, strap and all.
Send the dial, the strap on both sides, the open clasp, and the certificate. I identify the reference, explain the number within 1 business day, and pay within 24 hours of inspection. Shipping is insured, on me.