{"id":37733,"date":"2026-07-20T16:19:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T20:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rubberb.com\/blog\/?p=37733"},"modified":"2026-07-20T16:20:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T20:20:02","slug":"artisans-de-geneve-autumn-leaves-aquanaut-5164","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rubberb.com\/blog\/artisans-de-geneve-autumn-leaves-aquanaut-5164\/","title":{"rendered":"Autumn Leaves – Inside Artisans de Gen\u00e8ve\u2019s Skeletonized Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time 5164"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Artisans<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For a seasoned traveler, a watch can become more than an instrument for measuring time. It records departures, changing time zones and the quiet moments that remain long after a journey has ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Artisans de Gen\u00e8ve \u201cAutumn Leaves\u201d project was commissioned by a collector identified as Mr. L.V., who had worn his Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Reference 5164 throughout a lifetime of international travel. As he entered a new chapter, the steel Aquanaut was transformed into a mechanical tribute to those experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the center of the project is the workshop\u2019s first skeletonization of the dual-time calibre used inside the Aquanaut Travel Time 5164. The movement was opened, refinished in anthracite and accented with rose-gold components, while its local-time, home-time and date functions were preserved. A transparent sapphire dial and a Rubber B Ebony Brown strap complete the autumn-inspired composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project should not be confused with Artisans de Gen\u00e8ve\u2019s earlier Caumasee Aquanaut 5167A or the rose-gold Maggiore Daytona. Although all three draw from landscapes and autumnal colors, Autumn Leaves is the only one based on the complicated Aquanaut Travel Time 5164.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artisans de Gen\u00e8ve Autumn Leaves: Quick Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Artisans<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Specification<\/strong><\/td>Autumn Leaves configuration<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Base watch<\/td>Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Reference 5164<\/td><\/tr>
Original case architecture<\/td>40.8mm Aquanaut Travel Time in stainless steel<\/td><\/tr>
Personalized case<\/td>Refined steel case with chamfered lugs and polished and brushed surfaces<\/td><\/tr>
Original movement<\/td>Calibre 324 S C FUS, self-winding Travel Time<\/td><\/tr>
Personalized movement<\/td>AG-324, skeletonized and finished in anthracite with rose-gold wheels<\/td><\/tr>
Functions retained<\/td>Local time, home time, day\/night indications, date linked to local time and sweep seconds<\/td><\/tr>
Dial<\/td>Brown base with transparent sapphire upper plate<\/td><\/tr>
Hands<\/td>Rose-gold hands with SLN GL C1 luminescent treatment<\/td><\/tr>
Rotor<\/td>Skeletonized yellow-gold rotor with circular brushing<\/td><\/tr>
Balance bridge<\/td>Steel signature bridge, hand-angled and polished<\/td><\/tr>
Strap<\/td>Rubber B Ebony Brown strap<\/td><\/tr>
Personalization fee<\/td>CHF 64,520 excluding VAT<\/td><\/tr>
Donor watch included<\/td>No\u2014the client supplies the original watch<\/td><\/tr>
Published water resistance<\/td>Not stated on the official Autumn Leaves project page<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Artisans de Gen\u00e8ve states that the CHF 64,520 figure applies to the personalization service and excludes VAT. The client\u2019s watch is not included, and the final price may vary according to the requested work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Story Behind Autumn Leaves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Aquanaut Travel Time was created for movement between countries and continents. Its complication allows a traveler to retain a permanent indication of home time while adjusting the local hour independently when arriving in another time zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That practical connection to travel gave Mr. L.V.\u2019s watch a deeply personal significance. According to Artisans de Gen\u00e8ve, the Aquanaut accompanied him from one destination to another, becoming a reminder of waking in unfamiliar places and adjusting to a different local time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autumn Leaves represents the collector\u2019s transition from a life defined by continuous travel into a period of reflection. The design does not attempt to reproduce a single destination. Instead, its rose-gold, anthracite and deep-brown palette recalls changing landscapes, accumulated memories and the warmth associated with the final months of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is not simply an openworked Aquanaut. It is a visual interpretation of time already traveled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Skeletonizing a Dual-Time Calibre Is Different<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Skeletonized<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Skeletonization is often described as the process of removing material from a mechanical movement. That definition, however, understates the difficulty of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every bridge and plate contributes to the movement\u2019s stability. Removing too much material can reduce rigidity, disturb the alignment of the gear train or compromise the precise tolerances required by the regulating system. The watchmaker must reveal the architecture without weakening the structure that supports it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge becomes more demanding when the movement controls a complication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Aquanaut Travel Time Works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The original Patek Philippe calibre 324 S C FUS simultaneously displays local time and home time. A solid central hour hand indicates local time, while a skeletonized hand remains connected to home time. Separate day-and-night indicators help distinguish morning from evening in each location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The date display is also coupled to local time. When the local hour passes midnight, the date changes according to the destination rather than the wearer\u2019s home location. Pushers integrated into the left side of the case allow the local hour to advance or retreat in one-hour increments without interrupting normal timekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the same as placing two independent movements inside one case. Instead, the Travel Time complication layers additional wheels, indications, correction mechanisms and calendar relationships onto the movement\u2019s core timekeeping architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skeletonizing it therefore requires the workshop to account for considerably more than the conventional hour, minute and seconds display of a three-hand calibre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preserving the Travel Time Functions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For Autumn Leaves, Artisans de Gen\u00e8ve retained the original complication while opening the movement to view. The resulting AG-324 calibre is finished in anthracite, creating a darker architectural base for the rose-gold wheels and hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The openworking must accommodate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n