Patek Philippe presents a new interpretation of casual elegance

The renowned brand is launching four new Nautilus models.

To celebrate the opening of Watches and Wonders Geneva 2021, Patek Philippe is providing a place of honor for its legendary Nautilus collection. Following the announcement that 2021 will be the last production year of the stainless steel model Ref. 5711/1A, Patek Philippe presents a totally new olive green sunburst dial for this icon of casual elegance. This new dial will also be available in a version featuring a bezel set with baguette diamonds. The Ref. 5990/1 Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph comes in rose gold with a blue sunburst dial while a new Nautilus Haute Joaillerie with a random full diamond pavé setting makes a scintillating debut.

Launched in 1976, the Nautilus was surprising in several respects. The choice of stainless steel was totally unusual for a luxury watch. The octagonal bezel with rounded corners departed from conventional designs. Its case was inspired by a ship’s porthole. The exceptional robustness and water resistance to 120 meters was an extreme challenge then for a regularly produced watch. And the interplay of polished and satin-brushed finissage emphasized the uniqueness of the form elements.

With its horizontal relief embossing on the dial and the integrated steel bracelet with external links that tapered in the direction of the clasp, the Nautilus immediately proved to be the perfect incarnation of casual elegance and became a watch with the world’s greatest degree of brand awareness.

In 2006, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary, its style was subtly reworked. Today, it is part of a collection for ladies and men with over 25 versions in stainless steel, rose gold, white gold or bicolor (steel/rose gold) as well as metal bracelets or alligator leather straps. This makes it an ideal companion for people with a decidedly active lifestyle.

Apart from the models with three hands and a date, the Nautilus collection also includes five complicated timepieces which combine sports appeal with extraordinary technical finesse. The Ref. 5712 with an analog date, moon phases and a power-reserve indicator. The Ref. 5980 with a flyback chronograph and automatic winding. The Ref. 5726 with a patented Annual Calendar, 24-hour display, and moon phases. The Ref. 5990 Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph with two time zones, a flyback chronograph, and an analog date. The Ref. 5740 Nautilus with a perpetual calendar is a genuine grand complication and also the thinnest perpetual calendar in Patek Philippe’s entire collection.

In 2009, the ladies’ Nautilus models were tastefully reworked, setting themselves apart with smaller formats and refined details that add a feminine touch to casual elegance – as evidenced by the rounded hands and hour markers, bezels with smooth finishes or set with diamonds, and, since 2013, dials with relief embossing in the form of gentle undulations. Not to mention the breathtaking haute joaillerie models.

As a kickoff to Watches and Wonders Geneva 2021, which Patek Philippe joins for the first time, the Nautilus collection stands out with four new versions of existing models. They are four variations of a unique design that to date has lost none of its boldness and inimitable personality.

Ref. 5711/1A-014 Nautilus: a new dial in sunburst olive green
The Ref. 5711/1A Nautilus flagship model in steel that was launched in 2006 on the 30th anniversary of the collection was first presented with a blue, black gradated dial (Ref. 5711/1A 001 from 2006 to 2009, Ref. 5711/1A-010 starting in 2010) and then joined from 2012 to 2019 by a model with a silvery white dial (Ref. 5711/1A-011). In 2015, this palette was extended by a rose-gold version with a dial gradated from brown in the center to black on the periphery (Ref. 5711/1R-001).

Now that it has been announced that the Ref. 5711/1A in stainless steel will soon be discontinued, Patek Philippe is unveiling this cult model with an olive green dial – a hue that never existed before in the Nautilus collection. This elegant shade is emphasized with a gentle sunburst finish that harmonizes with the light reflected from the steel case, enhancing the design with a contemporary facet. It also assures legibility at any time of day or night, creating a perfect contrast against the luminescent hands and hour markers in white gold.

The prominent contours of the Nautilus are underscored by the subtle interplay of satin-brushed and polished finissage on the bezel, the case, and the bracelet. For every watch, the manual work involved requires 55 individual finishing steps.

The case is water resistant to 120 meters, protecting the self-winding caliber 26-330 S C movement that has been powering the Ref. 5711 since 2019. This new movement is a spin-off of the caliber 324 S C and offers several innovations and technical optimizations, especially of the winding system. It also features a stop-seconds mechanism that allows the watch to be set with one-second accuracy. A sapphire-crystal case back reveals the refined architecture of the movement and the immaculate finissage that reflects Patek Philippe’s long-standing traditions.

The new Ref. 5711/1A-014 with the olive green sunburst dial replaces the Ref. 5711/1A-010 with a blue-black gradated dial and joins the Ref. 5711/1R-001 in rose gold in the collection.

Ref. 5711/1300A-001 Nautilus: a new and unique combination of stainless steel and baguette diamonds
With the new Ref. 5711/1300A-001, Patek Philippe introduces an exceptionally remarkable alliance: cool steel with baguette-cut diamonds that are usually only paired with precious metal. The characteristic shape of the bezel and case is emphasized with a row of 32 flawless Top Wesselton baguette diamonds (~3.6 ct.) set to the highest standards of the master jeweler’s art. A highly refined detail: Each baguette diamond has a special slightly trapezoidal shape instead of the classic rectangle and is cut to perfectly match the octagonal bezel with the rounded corners.

The fire of the diamonds also illuminates the olive green dial that was introduced this year with the Ref. 5711/1A-014. The inimitable dial features the typical Nautilus horizontally embossed decor as well as the delicate shimmer of the sunburst finish. The hour markers and the slightly rounded baton hands in white gold are coated with a luminous compound and assure excellent legibility at any time of day or night.

The case and the integrated bracelet hug the wrist for a snug and comfortable fit. As in all other Nautilus models, the subtle alternation of manually polished and satin-finished elements highlights the interplay of the individual contours.

The Ref. 5711/1300A-001 is water resistant to 120 meters and is endowed with the same new self-winding caliber 26-330 S C as the Ref. 5711/1A-014, a mechanical movement that can be admired through the sapphire-crystal case back.

Ref. 5990/1R-001 Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph: a new look in rose gold with a blue sunburst dial
The Ref. 5990/1 Nautilus launched in stainless steel in 2014 with a dial that has a black gradation to the periphery combines three useful and conveniently operable complications: a flyback chronograph, a Travel Time function (two time zones) and an analog date at 12 o'clock synchronized with local time. Patek Philippe now offers this model in a new rose-gold version that contrasts beautifully with the horizontally embossed blue sunburst dial as well as with the hour markers and hands in rose gold with luminous coatings.

This watch, which is water resistant to 120 meters, is powered by the self-winding chronograph caliber CH 28-520 C FUS that melds venerable traditions (column wheel control) with avant garde aplomb (disk clutch). The sweep chronograph hand is complemented with a 60-minute counter at 6 o'clock. The flyback function enables the instant start of a new short-time measurement while the chronograph is already running. This is done by pressing the pusher at 4 o'clock without first stopping the hand with the pusher at 2 o'clock.

The Travel Time system relies on two hour hands from the center. The pierced hand indicates the hours of home time while the hours of local time are shown by the solid hand. While traveling or to display the time elsewhere, users can select a second time zone with their watch by using the “+” and “-” pushers in the case flank at 9 o'clock to move the local-time hand forward or backward in one-hour steps. During the process, the pierced hand continues to show the hour that applies to home time. This ingenious mechanism is paired with two day/night indicators that are clearly identified with LOCAL and HOME inscriptions. As long as the user remains at his place of residence and does not want to know the time in another time zone, the two hour hands can be superposed as if they were a single hand.

Like the case and the bezel, the rose-gold bracelet stands out with alternating polished and satin-brushed finissage. The watch features a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp that is secured with four independent catches.

In the Nautilus collection, the new Ref. 5990/1R-001 in rose gold joins the Ref. 5990/1A in stainless steel.

Ref. 7118/1450R-001 Nautilus Haute Joaillerie: a new version of the Nautilus with a random pavé setting
The iconic design of ladies’ Nautilus watches comes in various haute joaillerie versions set with brilliant-cut diamonds or baguette diamonds. From 2013 to 2018, Patek Philippe offered a rose gold model that including the dial was adorned with diamonds in a random pavé setting (also referred to as snow-setting (Ref. 7021/1R-001).

Now, Patek Philippe is revisiting this precious tradition by presenting a new model in rose gold with a diamond snow-setting on the case, the bezel, and the bracelet. The exclusive dial features individual rows of diamonds that exhibit a fine undulated relief, a typical facet of the Nautilus ladies’ collection. The second difference: the case is somewhat larger, with a diameter of 35.2 mm from 10 to 4 o’clock (as opposed to 33.6 mm for its predecessor).

The new Ref. 7118/1450R-001 Nautilus sparkles with the fire of 2553 flawless Top Wesselton brilliant-cut diamonds (~12.69 ct). This gleaming look is created with the very rare snow-setting technique, also known as random pavé. It is a highly sophisticated method mastered down to the last detail by the manufacturer's artisans. It consists of setting and fixation of diamonds of different sizes with the objective of minimizing the exposure of precious metal between the individual stones. It is self-evident that each watch with a full random pavé is a one-of-a-kind piece.

Perfect legibility is an indispensable requirement at Patek Philippe and also applies to haute joaillerie watches. This is why the dial features “Alpha” hour and minute hands in luminous rose gold; the applied Arabic rose-gold numerals are luminous as well.

The rose-gold case accommodates a self-winding caliber 324 S movement with extremely elaborate finissage that can be admired through the sapphire-crystal case back. The 18K rose-gold bracelet combines elegance with a truly comfortable fit. It is outfitted with a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp that is secured with four independent catches.