When thinking about blue and Japan, I think about 2 things: denim and this rare Nippon 5066.

The 1990s saw the arrival of smart-casual and business-casual clothing in the workplace. The Patek Philippe Aquanaut—which drew inspiration from the reference 3800 Nautilus—was launched in 1997 as the quintessential watch for this era: it was suitable for diving and other sporty activities but could be worn equally well in the boardroom.

The Aquanaut bears a striking resemblance to the Nautilus with its porthole-inspired octagonal bezel and with alternating satin-brushed and polished finishes. Nevertheless, it has a uniquely sporty look thanks to the rubber strap and the matching embossed dial.

The very first Aquanaut, the ref. 5060, was introduced in 1997. Two successor references followed just one year later: the ‘Jumbo’ ref. 5065 and the mid-size ref. 5066. Last mentioned knows a “Japan-only” edition, which was released in 1998 and only 500 or so were ever conceived.

This special take on the classic Aquanaut has a blue dial rather than a black one. Quite nice in contrast to the yellowish tritium markers and the applied Arabic indices, made in whitegold. A cool detail on these early Aquanauts is the placement of the date window on the edge of the dial at the 3 o’clock position and the straight end rubber strap. These things reveal how the model was still in early stages of development and give the ref. 5066 a no nonsense prototype-like look.

This 5066 dates back to the late ninetees and is still in excellent condition. It comes on the matching blue Patek Philippe rubber strap with a stainless steel Patek Philippe deployant clasp. The watch is also accompanied by an extract from the archives.