PASSIONS
GEAR
1
38
FORTUNE.COM // MAY.1.19
You don’t need to be Jacques
Cousteau to enjoy these voyaging
watches. By Daniel Bentley
ON THE WRIST of every
great adventurer of
the 20th century was an equally
great watch.
Take early aviator Alberto
Santos-Dumont, whose friend
Louis Cartier created a watch for
the wrist so he could read it while
flying; Sherpa Tenzing Norgay,
who conquered Everest alongside
Sir Edmund Hillary wearing a
Rolex Oyster Perpetual; or Buzz
Aldrin, who strapped an Omega
Speedmaster over his space suit
before leaving the Eagle lunar
module. While the modern
mechanical watch is, in essence,
a luxury—superseded in practical
use by digital technology—these
timepieces were life-preserving
equipment in their day.
It’s the romanticism of these
adventures that attracts collectors
to so-called tool watches—ones
built for a purpose, whether it be
flying, diving, or driving.
Here are five new timepieces
that capture an adventurous
spirit, whether you’re exploring
the globe or dreaming of doing so.
TIME FOR
TR AVEL
SAFARI CHIC
PATEK PHILIPPE
AQUANAUT
While Patek
Philippe’s Nauti-
lus sports watch
commands waiting
lists eight years
long, it was its oft-
overlooked cousin
the Aquanaut ( 1 )
that was among the
stars of the show
at the recent
Baselworld watch
fair in Switzerland. Its
jumbo-size 42mm
case has serious
wrist presence, and
its white gold, which
could pass for steel
to the untrained eye,
provides a stealthy
touch of luxury. With
its military-esque
olive green dial and
matching rubber
strap, this piece
would look equally
at home on safari
or by the pool.
PRICE: $39,690
COURTESY OF PATEK PHILIPPE
