Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Patek Philippe · Aquanaut
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 38 mm Salmon Grade
Reference 71466OR.26
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Patek Philippe
- Collection
- Aquanaut
- Model
- Patek Philippe Aquanaut 38 mm Salmon Grade
- Reference number
- 71466OR.26
- Year / era
- 1956 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 188 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 28E — In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1956 – 1967
- Limited-edition quantity
- 188 pieces
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Patek Philippe Créations studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 38 mm Salmon Grade sits within Patek Philippe's Aquanaut line, introduced in 1956. It carries the house codes established since 1839 — grade 5 titanium case, salmon dial and in-house automatic with 22k gold rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Patek Philippe
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1839
- Founder
- Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Nautilus, Aquanaut, Calatrava, Complications, Grand Complications, Golden Ellipse, Gondolo, Twenty~4, Cubitus
- Signature technologies
- Composite and ceramic case materials · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- Patek Philippe Nautilus 38 mm Slate Quartz (1999) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 41 mm Blue Carbon (1995) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 38 mm Slate Sapphire (1964) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 36 mm Meteorite Grade (1986)
Brand history
Patek Philippe has spent more than 187 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Nautilus, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe established Patek Philippe in 1839, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Patek Philippe calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1839
Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe founds Patek Philippe in Switzerland.
1879
Patek Philippe earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Patek Philippe to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Patek Philippe enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Patek Philippe continues to produce Nautilus, Aquanaut, Calatrava and other icons in limited numbers.
More Aquanaut
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 44 mm Slate Platinum
Ref. 50630OR.29
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 42 mm Meteorite Grade
Ref. 60754OR.32
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 42 mm Skeletonised Quartz
Ref. 48355OR.22
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 37 mm Blue Sapphire
Ref. 25030OR.94
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 37 mm Salmon Ceramic
Ref. 31069OR.66