The Aquanaut may be one of the most important modern luxury sport watches on the market. The Reference 4960J, launched in 1999, was a sort of transitional watch. Borrowing features from the Nautilus but doing away with the famed case “ears” of that porthole-inspired model and adding lugs, it was built upon the 5060’s introduction in 1996. The Aquanaut would go on to form the basis of a full collection of luxury sports watches that provided the entry point into the Patek Philippe catalog.

This particular Aquanaut, the Reference 4960J, dates to circa the 2000s and features a 30mm yellow gold case, a sapphire crystal, a lovely anthracite textured hobnail dial with printed indices and a matching handset, a signed crown, and beautifully finished automatic winding Patek movement. It even features a correct Aquanaut rubber strap with a signed, yellow gold deployant clasp.

While the modern collector is fully obsessed with the Nautilus, this is your chance to own a historically significant model in one of its first — and best — incarnations!