The Aquanaut in its original size, the anti-Patek of its time, the 5066 is packed with conundrums and contradictions, all of which make it that much more enjoyable to wear. I absolutely love getting watches like this, charming, unpolished, but show that honest, normal wear – you can truly lean in and enjoy them to the fullest without being afraid of putting that first scratch in it. I love the idea of the top of the ‘holy trinity’, in steel, on a rubber strap, and ready to be truly worn day in and day out.

Case: The 36mm stainless steel case is the original Aquanaut size and truly one of those watches that disappears on wrist and becomes more enjoyable the more you wear it. In my humble, biased opinion, the beauty of the 5066 is the smaller size as it’s understated, sporty, and comfortable. The case shows minimal honest surface wear throughout, and features some of the sharpest lugs and clearest defined facets I’ve seen on a 5066.

Dial: The original ‘grenade’ dial is an odd thing; block hour markers that seemingly point wherever they landed, a date window next to an applied Arabic are the obvious places to start, but all the quirks add up to make what is very much a right. The depth and texture of the dial has to be experienced in person, the matte white gold applied Arabic numerals add to the dimensionality, and the white/silver script signature appears to float above the dial. I’ve said many times in the past that drivers for vintage aquanaut values are first if it’s tritium or luminova and if it’s tritium, is the patina attractive; this one certainly is. The tritium hour markers and hands have aged to a very attractive, warm tone with the hands ageing slightly lighter, as is common. I proactively had the lume in the hands stabilized as many suffer from cracking or lume loss and tritium hand replacements are elusive, yet so critical.

There are two very minor, very fine scratches on the crystal that are only visible at certain angles and if you’re really looking for them. I didn’t notice either under a loupe or with the naked eye, and it wasn’t until I was photographing in a light box that I realized it wasn’t dust. I cannot emphasize enough how minor these are.

Movement: The caliber 330SC self winding, Geneva seal movement is winding, setting, and running well at approximately +1 s/d, averaged across 6 positions.

Bracelet: Presented on a black tropic strap that will fit an approximately 6-5/8” wrist and it’s original deployant buckle.

Includes: Outer box, inner wooden presentation box and suede sleeve, leather document holder, Aquanaut booklet, movement booklet, Aquanaut strap cutting guide, museum booklet, registration document and return envelopes, and certificate of origin dated 2002.