Patek Philippe 2021: Meet the new Nautilus replacing your beloved Ref 5711
The reign of the world’s most sought after watch is finally over, but the sendoff party isn’t half bad.
The new Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref 5711/1A-014, with an olive green dial. (Photo: Patek Philippe)
After 15 years, the legendary blue-faced steel Nautilus is finally being laid to rest, ironically defeated by the might of its own popularity. Unwilling to let a single model hog the spotlight for this long, Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern made the call to cease production of the Ref 5711/1A-010 so that the other 140 models the brand has can get their time in the sun.
Icons do need updating, it’s true. Fellow “holy grail” watches like Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Selfwinding with blue dial and Rolex’s “Pepsi” GMT-Master II have been remade in recent years with modern concessions like slimmer dimensions or high-tech ceramic bezels.
But we’re sorry to say the Ref 5711/1A-010 is really not coming back, because its successor – the Ref 5711/1A-014 – has a dial sporting the trendiest colour of the season: Green.
Aside from that, everything you loved about the stainless steel Nautilus is still present, from the combination of satin-brushed and polished finishes to the sunburst effect on the horizontally ribbed dial. Ticking under that olive green face is the self-winding calibre 26-330 S C, which has been powering the 5711 models since 2019.
Three more Nautilus models are also making their way into the permanent collection, each one a reminder that Patek Philippe’s focus isn’t on plain steel models, but on preciousness.
The Ref 5711/1300A-001 is a dressed up version of the 5711/1A-014, finally bringing diamonds to the men’s steel Nautilus range. Unlike the brilliant-cut diamonds that are found in the ladies’ Ref 7118 collection, this model uses 32 baguette diamonds with a slight trapezoidal shape in order to adhere seamlessly to the curved bezel. This too, uses the calibre 26-330 S C.
The Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph, which first showed up in steel in 2014 has also gotten a luxurious makeover with a new rose gold case and blue sunburst dial. The self-winding CH 28-520 C FUS is a chronograph movement with dual time and date, making this a convenient option for travellers or, at the very least, those who have to work across more than one time zone. The pierced hour hand represents home time, while the solid hand tracks local time, and the latter can be adjusted via pushers on the case flank at 9 o’clock.
Outshining them all is the Ref 7118/1450R-001 Nautilus Haute Joaillerie. For the ladies who missed the snow-set diamond-paved rose gold Nautilus that was available between 2013 and 2018, the Ref 7118/1450R-001 is a fairly faithful evolution – the snow setting on the dial now adheres to the wave motif that characterises the women’s Nautilus collection; there is no date to interrupt the flurry of carats; and the case has been enlarged slightly to 35.2mm (compared to its 33.6mm predecessor).
A total of 2,553 brilliant-cut diamonds amounting to about 12.69ct covers most of the real estate on this watch, and it is powered by the automatic calibre 324 S.
