Watch Paparazzi

Baseball player Alex Rodriquez spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Alex Rodriguez — four-time home run champion, World Series winner, and now a fixture in the business world including a seat on Shark Tank — was recently spotted wearing the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Reference 5167A, the brand's signature stainless steel sport model. For a man who moves between baseball legacy and boardroom credibility, the choice is entirely on-brand: the Aquanaut is a watch that refuses to announce itself loudly while saying everything about the wearer's taste.

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5167A-001 is powered by Caliber 324 S C, an automatic movement with a 45-hour power reserve beating at 28,800 vph, housed in a 40mm stainless steel case with the brand's distinctive rounded octagonal bezel — a design DNA shared with the Nautilus but deliberately positioned as a more casual, travel-ready alternative. The embossed black composite strap, tropical dial with horizontal and vertical relief pattern, and sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating complete a package that is deceptively relaxed yet immaculately engineered. Water resistance reaches 120 meters, making it a credible sport watch rather than a dress watch in athletic disguise.

Launched in 1997 as a younger sibling to the Nautilus, the Aquanaut was initially met with skepticism from purists who saw it as a derivative design. History has vindicated it entirely. The 5167A, introduced in 2007 as an update to the original 5065, brought the case to 40mm and refined the movement, landing at exactly the proportions the market now considers ideal. It has since become one of the most consistently waitlisted references at authorized dealers worldwide.

Rodriguez has long demonstrated serious watch knowledge, with a collection spanning Rolex, Richard Mille, and Patek Philippe. His choice of the 5167A rather than a flashier complication signals collector maturity — this is a reference chosen for its horological credentials and cultural weight, not its price tag visibility.

At an official retail of $23,070, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167A is technically accessible by Patek standards. The reality is different: grey market prices hover around $80,000, making it one of the clearest examples of how scarcity and brand prestige can completely decouple a watch's list price from its actual market value. For collectors who secured one at retail, it represents one of the decade's most rewarding holds.