Unboxing the Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167A-001
This is the Aquanaut 5167A-001 in its most basic form: stainless steel, a charcoal dial, a composite strap, and time and date. No precious metal, no chronograph, no travel time. Patek lists the case at 40.8 mm, only 8.1 mm thick, with satin-brushed surfaces and polished edges around the rounded octagonal bezel. The dial is sunburst charcoal gray with a black gradient rim and the embossed Aquanaut pattern, and the automatic movement is visible through the sapphire caseback.
In the video we go through the case, the dial, the movement and the strap, and put the watch on to show how it sits.
Watch the full unboxing
The Aquanaut 5167A-001 showing the rounded octagonal bezel and embossed charcoal dial
Table of Contents
1. What Comes in the Box
The 5167A arrives in Patek's lacquered presentation box, under a fabric cover carrying the Patek Philippe Genève name. Lift the lid and the watch sits in a cream-lined tray.
The presentation box with its fabric cover, and the watch seated in the cream-lined tray
2. A 40.8 mm Case at 8.1 mm Thick
Patek lists the steel case at 40.8 mm across and 8.1 mm thick. That thickness is a large part of how the watch wears. There is enough surface area for it to feel substantial, and very little vertical mass.
The finishing is restrained and precise. Broad satin-brushed surfaces are contrasted by polished areas around the case and bezel, which emphasize the rounded octagonal shape. The family relationship to the Nautilus is clear, and the Aquanaut is the simpler design of the two.
The case in profile, showing the 8.1 mm thickness
The crown screws down and carries the Calatrava cross, and a sapphire caseback covers the movement.
The screw-down crown with the Calatrava cross, against the satin and polished case flank
3. The Charcoal Sunburst Dial
Patek describes the dial as sunburst charcoal gray with a black gradient rim. Under strong light the center opens up into a lighter gray while the edges stay darker, so the dial has more variation than a single-color dial would suggest.
The embossed grid pattern gives the dial texture without hurting legibility, and it matches the pattern on the strap. The numerals are large white gold Arabics with luminous treatment, the hands are white gold batons, and there is a date aperture at three o'clock. That is the only complication on the watch.
The charcoal-to-black gradient, and the embossed grid carrying across into the strap
4. Caliber 324 S C Under the Sapphire Caseback
Through the sapphire caseback you see Patek's automatic caliber 324 S C. The watch filmed here is an earlier example fitted with the 324 S C. New 5167A-001s ship with Patek's newer caliber 26-330 S C, which is what patek.com lists today, and that is the caliber named in the video narration. It is a thin movement, which is part of how the whole watch stays at 8.1 mm, and Patek gives its power reserve as approximately 35 to 45 hours.
It uses Patek's Gyromax balance and Spiromax balance spring, and the central rotor is 21K gold.
Caliber 324 S C through the sapphire caseback, with the 21K gold central rotor
5. The Composite Strap and Fold-Over Clasp
Patek calls it a black composite strap, and it is embossed with the same grid as the dial. It is soft and it conforms to the wrist, and because the case transitions directly into the strap, the whole watch sits close. Combined with the thin case, it makes the watch feel lighter than its size suggests.
It closes on Patek's patented folding clasp, which stays compact underneath the wrist and keeps the thin profile of the rest of the watch. The Calatrava cross is worked into the clasp.
The composite strap holding its curve, and the Calatrava cross on the fold-over clasp
6. On the Wrist
The case is thin, the strap is soft, and the watch sits low. The measurements do not fully communicate the comfort until you put it on, which is why we show it worn in the video.
How the 40.8 mm case sits, and the low profile it keeps on the wrist
7. Where the 5167A Sits in the Aquanaut Line
The Aquanaut line includes rose gold cases, travel time and chronograph versions, other dial colors with brighter accents, and the Advanced Research pieces. The 5167A is the baseline version: steel, dark dial, composite strap, time and date.
The 5167A-001 with its on-screen reference card
8. Full Specifications
| Reference | 5167A-001 |
| Case | Stainless steel, 40.8 mm (10 to 4 o'clock) |
| Thickness | 8.1 mm |
| Crystal | Sapphire front and caseback |
| Dial | Sunburst charcoal gray, black gradient rim, embossed Aquanaut pattern |
| Numerals and hands | Applied white gold with luminous coating |
| Movement | Caliber 324 S C on this example (current production: 26-330 S C) |
| Power reserve | Approximately 35 to 45 hours |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) |
| Strap | Black composite with patented fold-over clasp |
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Sources and methodology: Case, dial and strap specifications are from Patek Philippe's published reference data for the 5167A-001. The caliber is the 324 S C fitted to this example. All photography in this article is our own, taken from our unboxing video of this watch.