Patek Philippe Nautilus Retrospective Chapter 4
We’ve finally arrived at the fourth and final chapter of our Patek Philippe Nautilus retrospective. In this installment, we’ll cover the era spanning from the Nautilus’ 40th anniversary in 2016 until the present, which includes some very special editions of the fan-favorite 5711/1A as well as its discontinuation and replacement.
2016 - The 40th Anniversary Nautilus Watches
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Nautilus in 2016, Patek Philippe released two very special references: the Nautilus Ref. 5711/1P 40th Anniversary Limited Edition and the Nautilus Chronograph Ref. 5976/1G 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. Both editions came packaged in the same cork box of the original 1976 Nautilus “Jumbo.”
Limited to only 700 examples, the time and date Nautilus Ref. 5711/1P in platinum quickly became a collector’s piece. The watch features a 40mm platinum case (44.05mm including the sides of the case) furnished with a matching platinum integrated bracelet. As is customary with Patek Philippe watches in platinum, there’s a flawless rare white Top Wesselton diamond (approx. 0.02 ct.) set into the bezel above the lugs at 6 o'clock.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1P 40th Anniversary Limited Edition
The sunburst blue dial of the Nautilus Ref. 5711/1P includes a bright/dark gradation from the inside to the outside, complete with the signature horizontal embossing. There’s also the commemorative anniversary engraving “40 / 1976 - 2016” right above 6 o’clock, as well as a dozen baguette-cut diamond hour markers. The date window at 3 o’clock is framed in white gold, and the trio of hands at the center are fashioned from the same precious metal.
The other anniversary model came in the form of the white gold Nautilus Ref. 5976/1G flyback chronograph, limited to 1,300 examples. The hefty case clocks in at 44mm in diameter and 49.25mm wide, and includes two pushers on the right side to activate the chronograph function. Like the case, the integrated bracelet is also crafted from 18k white gold.
Similar to the 5711/IP, the anniversary Nautilus Ref. 5976/1G also has the “40 / 1976 - 2016” commemorative inscription on its blue dial, but this time right below 12 o’clock to accommodate the mono-counter at 6 o’clock. The diamond hour markers feature a mix of baguette-cut and princess-cut stones and there’s a date window at 3 o’clock too.
2018 - Nautilus 5740/1G-001 Perpetual Calendar
Two years after the 40th birthday of the Nautilus, Patek Philippe announced the collection’s first grand complication – the Nautilus ref. 5740/1G-001 Perpetual Calendar in 18k white gold. While Patek Philippe is known for its master of perpetual calendar watches, this was the first time the Genevan manufacture furnished its flagship sports watch with this superb complication.
The Nautilus ref. 5740/1G-001 features a 40mm diameter case that measures 44.05mm across and includes discreet correctors throughout to adjust the perpetual calendar without disturbing the famous Nautilus form. There’s a day corrector at 9 o’clock, a date corrector between 11 and 12 o’clock, a month corrector between 12 and 1 o’clock, and finally, a moonphase corrector at 6 o’clock.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Reference 5740/1G-001
The sunburst blue horizontally-embossed dial is home to a trio of subdials for the various calendar indicators: month and leap year at 3, date and moonphase at 6, and day and 24-hour indication at 9. Powering the impressive functionality of the Nautilus Perpetual Calendar is the ultra-thin Caliber 240 Q self-winding movement fitted with a micro-rotor; thanks to the movement’s super slim profile, this is Patek Philippe’s thinnest perpetual calendar.
2019 - New Nautilus 5711 Caliber
Patek Philippe Caliber 26-330 SC automatic movement
In 2019, Patek Philippe replaced the Nautilus 5711’s long-running Caliber 324 SC automatic movement with the Caliber 26-330 SC automatic movement, which added the hacking seconds function to the watch. Hacking seconds, also known as stop-seconds, is when the seconds hand comes to a complete halt when the winding crown is pulled out for precise time-setting.
Spring 2021 - Four New Nautilus Models
In February 2021, Theirry Stern, the President of Patek Philippe, announced that the company would be discontinuing the Nautilus ref. 5711 in 2022, thereby dashing the hopes of anyone who was on the ten-year waitlist to get one. However, he did mention that there would be a “farewell series of the 5711, which will be a little different.”
True to his word, in the Spring of 2021 at Watches & Wonders, Patek Philippe unveiled four new Nautilus models.
The first of the quartet was the Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-014, which is the same steel 5711 that everyone knew and loved but furnished with a sunburst olive green dial – a first for the collection. This particular reference replaced the fan favorite Ref. 5711/1A-010 with a blue-black dial.
Next was the Nautilus Ref. 5711/1300A-001, which is also a steel model with an olive green dial but with the addition of a bezel set with 32 flawless baguette diamonds. Intriguingly, rather than the customary rectangular shape, each baguette diamond has a special slightly trapezoidal shape to follow the form of the rounded octagonal bezel.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph 5990/1R-001
The third reference to join the collection that year was the Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph 5990/1R-001, which is a rose gold and blue dial variant of the model originally introduced in 2014. Powered by the Caliber CH 28-520 C FUS, the Nautilus ref. 5990/1R-001 includes a flyback chronograph, two time zones, and a date indicator at 12 o’clock.
Finally, Patek Philippe also introduced the Nautilus Haute Joaillerie Ref. 7118/1450R-001 with a 35.2mm rose gold case, rose gold integrated bracelet, and 2,553 brilliant-cut diamonds. This is a high-jewelry ladies’ Nautilus watch with random pavé gem-setting, which is also known as the snow-setting technique.
December 2021 - Limited Edition Nautilus “Tiffany & Co.”
To wrap up 2021, Patek Philippe made headlines when it announced the limited edition Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018 “Tiffany & Co.” watch to celebrate the 170th year of its partnership with the famed New York jeweler. Only 170 examples of the Tiffany Nautilus 5711 were made, each featuring dials in the iconic Tiffany blue color, as well as a “Tiffany & Co.” stamp at 6 o’clock on the dial.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018 “Tiffany & Co”
The release of this limited edition Nautilus caused an absolute frenzy. One came up for auction the same month it was introduced, and it sold for $5,350,000 (all-in price of over $6.5 million)!
This was the very last Nautilus 5711 and the entire reference disappeared from Patek Philippe’s lineup at the start of 2022.
2022 - Four New Nautilus Models Including 5711’s Replacement
Although Patek Philippe did not announce any new Nautilus models in Spring 2022 at Watches & Wonders, the company did drop some – another four in fact – later that year in October.
First, there was the introduction of the Nautilus Ref. 5811/1G-001, which was positioned as the 5711’s replacement. However, this particular model is fashioned from 18k white gold (not steel) and features a slightly larger 41mm (instead of 40mm) case. It does, however, retain that classic sunburst blue dial with black gradation, as well as the trio of hands at the center and a date window at 3 o’clock.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5811/1G-001
Interestingly, similar to the very first “Jumbo” Nautilus from 1976, the movement of the new Nautilus 5811 has to be accessed from the dial-side. However, unlike the original, where the winding stem split from the watch so that the movement could be taken out of the case from the dial, the Nautilus 5811 includes a patent-pending pull-out piece lever system. This system permits the winding stem to be pulled out from the dial side too. Yet, the watch still has a sapphire caseback for a view of Caliber 26-330 S C.
The following Nautilus released in 2022 was the Ref. 5990/1A-011, which is a steel model similar to the 2014 release but this time with a blue dial instead of the previous black dial.
Next up was the Nautilus Ref. 5712/1R-001, which is a rose gold variant of the Nautilus Moon Phases furnished with a rose gold bracelet and chocolate brown dial. Aside from the moon phase indication, the famously unbalanced (yet beloved) dial of the 5712 is also home to a date indicator, running seconds sundial, and power reserve indicator. While Patek had made a rose gold Nautilus 5712 before, that version had a leather strap while this one includes a rose gold bracelet.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Joaillerie 7118/1300R-001
Patek also released the ladies’ Nautilus Joaillerie Ref. 7118/1300R-001 in rose gold, which features 68 baguette-cut spessartites set into the bezel in a color spectrum that ranges from "champagne" to "cognac" tones. The dial is also home to 11 cognac-colored spessartites that serve as hour markers.
Another announcement made that year worth mentioning is that the bracelets of the Nautilus references 5990/1A-011, 5712/1R-001, and 5811/1G-001 are furnished with a patented fold-over clasp that is not only secured with four independent catches but also a new lockable adjustment system that permits adjustment of 2mm or 4mm.
The Current Patek Philippe Collection in 2023
As of May 2023, the current production Patek Philippe Nautilus has 27 models spread across eight references:
1- Ladies Automatic Nautilus Ref. 7118
- Case Diameter: 35.2 mm
- Caliber 324 S C
- Material Options: Stainless Steel, Rose Gold, White Gold
2- Nautilus Ref. 5811 “Jumbo”
- Case Diameter: 41mm
- Caliber 26‑330 S C
- Material Options: White Gold
3- Nautilus Ref. 5719 Full Diamond Pavé
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Caliber 26‑330 S C
- Material Options: White Gold with 1,343 Diamonds
4- Nautilus Ref. 5712 Moon Phases/Power Reserve
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Caliber 240 PS IRM C LU
- Material Options: Stainless Steel, White Gold, Rose Gold
5- Nautilus Ref. 5726 Annual Calendar/Moon Phases
- Case Diameter: 40.5mm
- Caliber 324 S QA LU 24H/303
- Material Options: Stainless Steel
6- Nautilus Ref. 5980 Flyback Chronograph
- Case Diameter: 40.5mm
- Caliber CH 28‑520 C
- Material Options: Rose Gold, Two-Tone Stainless Steel/Rose Gold
7- Nautilus Ref. 5990 Travel Time Flyback Chronograph
- Case Diameter: 40.5mm
- Caliber CH 28‑520 C FUS
- Material Options: Stainless Steel, Rose Gold
8- Nautilus Ref. 5740 Perpetual Calendar
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Caliber 240 Q
- Material Options: White Gold
That wraps up the final chapter of our four-part Nautilus Retrospective. If you’d like to read up on previous installments, you can find them here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3.
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