Last year Patek Philippe brought a new reference to the Aquanaut family in the form of the steel chronograph ref 5968A, which we loved for its splash of orange. This year, weāre getting a reference weāve seen before, kinda. The first 5168G was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Aquanaut in 2017, doing so with a deep blue dial and navy strap, all on a white gold case (as indicated by the G after the ref.). The newest 5168G keeps the white gold āJumboā case, but changes the color scheme to āKhaki Greenā.
If youāve been paying attention to Patek for any amount of time youāre probably thinking this looks a little familiar. Youād be right, as this isnāt the first green Aquanaut weāve seen. About 10 years ago a handful of green 5167A references were sold, and when we say handful, we mean literally a handful, with fewer than 10 examples thought to exist.
The newest release uses a Jumbo case, which clocks in at 42.2mm in diameter and 8.25mm thick. The surface of the case still features a mix of brushed and polished surfaces, and the signature rounded square case remains unchanged. The Khaki Green is the biggest departure here and is meant to evoke a āsense of adventure and far horizonsā. The hue is toned down, de-saturated almost, and is applied to matte surfaces, which amps up the tool-ish nature of the watch as a whole. The Patek Philippe written on the dial diminishes that a bit, but we arenāt complaining.
Retail price of the Patek Philippe 5168G is set at $39,690, and if recent trends hold this will be difficult to get your hands on at retail, much like the steel Aquanaut 5167A.
