Tom Holland's Spider-Man evaporated into a tiny million pieces at the command of a cosmic demigod (he then returned in Spider-Man: Far From Home, because the Marvel cinematic universe is a nonsensical place to live), thus signalling the end of his turn in the red-and-blue spandex suit. But the superhero days aren't totally over. Look to his wrist, and Holland's days of superhuman strength and durability live on in Patek Philippe – the best hire the Avengers never made.
At the London premiere of Onward – Holland's latest animated flick, which involve no spider bites whatsoever – the 23-year-old debuted an Aquanaut. Which is all very red carpet and impressive and great. But this particular reference has more weight. As a 20th anniversary model of an Aquanaut launched in 1997, this 42.4mm 'Jumbo' watch is a souped up version of a normal dive watch. It's water resistant to 120m, and comes on a functional, splash-ready rubber strap.
But what really lifts the Aquanaut is a white gold case. As a punchy midpoint between yellow gold and platinum, this particular metal is much more hardwearing than silver, and an additional rhodium coating provides added durability (and a bit more shine, which is always nice). What's more, it's as close to platinum as you'll get without an American Express of the same shade. That part's nice, too.
Inside, the ref. 5168G-001 houses a self-winding caliber 324 SC movement. These is the sort of mechanics that get a watch collector all excited. Because, as something made in-house, it proves that Patek Philippe has the technology and the craftsmanship to power their own watches (many of its competitors outsource Swiss-made movements, as they're very difficult and costly to make). And they're good at it. The 324 is known for heightened accuracy and stability by way of a higher vibration frequency, and a Spiromax hairspring that's steadies the entire movement.
Of course, the best dive watches are often too precious to actually take under the sea. But Holland's Aquanaut strikes the middle ground between form and function, which is why it works just as well on a Hollywood red carpet as it would 50 fathoms down. Even Spider-Man couldn't manage that.
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