The greatest band of all time is back for one last song. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard that The Beatles have released one final track. The song, "Now and Then," began as a demo recorded to cassette by John Lennon in the late 1970s and which the the then-surviving members of the band had worked on during the Beatles Anthology project of the mid-1990s. At the time, the vocals on the track were deemed too low-quality to be used, and the song was shelved.
Fast-forward to today, and new AI-based technology was used to isolate Lennon's vocals, allowing surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, while also incorporating George Harrison's contributions from the Anthology sessions, to create the last-ever new song featuring all four Beatles.
The song has understandably generated a lot of buzz — it is the Beatles, after all — but one area where you perhaps wouldn't expect "Now and Then" to have much of an impact is in the world of watches. But watching the music video, which debuted today, I noticed that both Paul and Ringo were wearing the same watch — and it's from a brand that's closely linked to John Lennon.
The Beatles and Patek Philippe
Paul McCartney is a known wearer of Patek Philippe, specifically the Aquanaut. The Aquanaut is arguably Patek's sportiest watch, a spinoff of the Nautilus that first arrived in 1997 and is known for its porthole-shaped case, "tropical" composite rubber strap and the grenade-like pattern on the dial. McCartney is frequently seen sporting his ref. 5165A black dial on black rubber Aquanaut, and he appears to be wearing it throughout the "Now and Then" video. As a leftie, Paul wears the watch on his right wrist.
Another known Patek fan is Ringo. He previously owned an exceptionally rare ref. 3448 Perpetual Calendar, but lately he's also been sporting an Aquanaut. As recently as September, the 83-year-old drummer was spied wearing the Aquanaut ref. 5065A at his Musician's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Nashville. And, just like Paul, he's seen wearing his Aquanaut throughout the "Now and Then" video, even while playing the drums (a testament to the shock resistance of the watch's Patek cal. 315 automatic movement).
Ringo's Aquanaut is older, having been produced from 1998 until 2006. McCartney's watch effectively replaced Ringo's in Patek's lineup, having debuted in 2007 before bowing out in 2012. Both have 38mm cases in stainless steel with black dials and black rubber straps. The modern version offered by Patek Philippe today is the 5167A, which debuted the same year as McCartney's 5165A and is basically identical save for its larger case, which measures 40.8mm across. The 5167A retails for $24,250, but good luck getting one at retail.
The Lennon Connection
Of course, any conversation about The Beatles and Patek Philippe — or even the band's choice of watches in general — has to mention John Lennon's legendary Patek ref. 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. The watch, a grande complication in yellow gold, is considered one of Patek's greatest watches ever, with fewer than 350 ever produced. Lennon's was gifted to him by his wife Yoko Ono just months before his assassination in December of 1980, and the watch went missing for decades before finally resurfacing just two months ago. If it ever goes to auction, it's possible, perhaps even likely, that it will break the record for the most expensive watch ever sold.
Were Paul and Ringo deliberately wearing Pateks as a tribute to Lennon? Probably not — they both are known to wear their Aquanauts frequently and likely didn't give it a second thought while strapping the watches on their wrists for the music video. But it's still an interesting connection that shows the almost preternatural bond shared by the Fab Four, both now and then. You can check out the Beatles (and their Pateks) in action in the "Now and Then" video below.
