Following on from Chapters 1 and 2 of our comprehensive review of the popular Patek Philippe Nautilus, we now enter Chapter 3. In this section, we trace the evolution of the Nautilus from its 30th anniversary in 2006 to its next anniversary. This era saw many changes to the collection until 2015, including the debut of 5711 and the introduction of more complications, materials and dial colours.
2006 was a big year for Nautilus
In 2006, Patek Philippe celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Nautilus, and to commemorate the milestone, the company released a new batch of models with redesigned cases, updated dials and improved straps. Another new addition to the collection is the choice of 18K rose gold models as well as new chronograph models.
The new Nautilus models introduced in 2006 are:
Giant Nautilus 5711/1A
Medium Nautilus 5800/1A
Nautilus Moon Phases 5712/1A, 5712R and 5712G
Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1A
Some of the key changes to the new Nautilus watches for 2006 include:
New shell design
Originally straight hinges become more rounded
The Jumbo case consists of three parts (instead of two) with a screw-down winding crown and case back
These models are equipped with a sapphire crystal case back for a clear view of the movement
new case aspect
Medium: 38.40mm instead of 37.5mm
Jumbo: 43m replaces 42mm
Chronograph: 44 mm
Improved Bracelet
The bracelet has slightly different proportions and improved connections
A new three-part folding clasp has been added to the metal strap and a new double security feature has been added to the leather strap
updated watch face
The hands on the dial are larger
The shape of the hour markers now matches the outline of the octagonal bezel at every position
Giant Nautilus Ref. 5711
Arguably the most famous of all Nautilus replica watches, the stainless steel reference 5711/1A debuted in 2006 as part of the line’s 30th anniversary collection. The Nautilus 5711 is a modern version of the original “Jumbo” 3700 from 1976, featuring a time and date dial, an all-steel case, and a steel integrated bracelet. This is the triumphant return of the large steel time and date Nautilus model, which was removed from the Patek Philippe catalog in 1990.
The Nautilus 5711/1A has a case width of 43mm (40mm diameter), an increase from the original Jumbo’s 42mm width. This slight increase is to accommodate the rounded profile of the side hinge ridge. The then-new three-part case featured sapphire crystal glass on the dial side and screw-down case back. The three-part construction allows access to the movement from the back of the case, which was not possible with the original two-part monocoque construction. However, despite the new construction, the Nautilus 5711/1A retains its signature water resistance to 120 meters.
The dial of the first 5711/1A model was the classic Nautilus dial, i.e. blue-black with horizontal grooves. However, its blue is brighter than the original 3700. There are other updates, including larger pointers and indexes.
As is customary for many Nautilus watches, ref. 5711/1A is presented on a one-piece stainless steel bracelet with a satin-finished outer link and a polished middle link. However, the bracelet benefits from slight updates, including a flatter center link and an improved three-fold clasp.
When Patek Philippe fake introduced the Nautilus 5711, it fitted it with the Caliber 315 SC automatic movement, which added central sweep hands to the dial (something the original 3700 didn’t have). However, the movement was quickly replaced by the higher-frequency Caliber 324 SC the following year. Caliber 324 SC runs at 28,800 vph, provides a power reserve of 35 to 45 hours, and displays hours, minutes, large seconds and date in an aperture at 3 o’clock.
In 2007, the year after the debut of the steel model, Patek Philippe launched a precious metal version of the 5711, all with a leather strap:
Gold Nautilus Ref. 5711J
Platinum Nautilus Ref. 5711G
Rose Gold Nautilus Ref. 5711R
In 2015, Patek Philippe launched the all-rose gold Nautilus 5711/1R, with a matching rose gold integrated bracelet and brown-black dial.
In addition to the blue-and-black dial variant introduced in 2006, Patek Philippe eventually added other dial color options to the steel Nautilus models:
2006: Nautilus reference number. 5711/1A-001 blue-black dial
2010: Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-010 with black gradient dial
2012: Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-011 silver-white dial
2021: Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-014 with olive dial
2021: Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018, Tiffany blue dial. Limited to 170 pieces.
We discuss the Olive and Tiffany models of the Nautilus 5711 in Chapter 4, covering the era from 2016 to the present.
The entire Nautilus 5711 series has been discontinued in 2022.
Medium Nautilus Reference 5800
In addition to the new Jumbo editions, Patek Philippe introduced a new mid-size time and date edition in 2006: the Nautilus ref. 5800/1A, which replaced the long-running Nautilus ref. 5800/1A. 3800.
Nautilus Ref. The 5800/1A has a case size of 38.4mm (34.8mm diameter), which is slightly wider than the previous model. 3800.
Interestingly, Patek Philippe did not opt for the new three-part case architecture, instead retaining the two-part monocoque for the Nautilus ref. 5800, which means that the movement is still mounted on the dial side. The watch does benefit from a new sapphire caseback, though, as well as all the general design updates such as rounded lugs on the case, an improved bracelet, and an updated blue dial with larger hands. Powering the mid-sized Nautilus 5800 is the self-winding Caliber 330 SC movement.
Nautilus Moon Phase Ref. 5712
The third of the 30th-anniversary models launched in 2006 was the Nautilus Ref. 5712/1A, also featuring a steel case, steel integrated bracelet and blue-black dial. The Nautilus 5712 replaced the very short-lived 3712 (only a year in production) and retained many of its design cues.
Similar to the Jumbo, the Nautilus Moonphase ref. 5712/1A has a three-part 43mm wide (40mm diameter) case with a sapphire crystal case back, but is only water resistant to 60 meters (half the Jumbo’s water resistance rating).
In addition to the hour and minute hands, the dial features a small seconds at 4 o’clock, a power reserve indicator at 10:30, a date indicator and a moon phase display at 7 o’clock. The Nautilus Moon Phase ref. 5712 is powered by the Caliber 240 PS IRM C LU automatic movement with Patek Philippe’s famous micro-rotor in 22k gold.
Not only did Patek Philippe release the Nautilus Moonphase ref. 5712/1A in stainless steel with a matching integrated strap in 2006, it also launched two other precious metal versions with hand-stitched leather straps that same year.
18K rose gold Nautilus Ref. 5712R with brown leather strap and rose gold deployant clasp
18k white gold Nautilus Ref. 5712G with black leather strap and white gold deployant clasp
All these references are still part of Patek Philippe’s current catalogue. Additionally, for 2022 there is an all rose gold model with a matching rose gold integrated bracelet, the Nautilus 5712-1R-001.
Nautilus Chronograph Ref. 5980
The fourth and final model in the 30th Anniversary Collection is the Nautilus Chronograph ref. 5980/1A. Similar to other anniversary models, 5980/1A has a stainless steel case, a stainless steel integrated bracelet and a blue-black dial with horizontal grooves. Considering the chronograph’s complication, this is the largest of all models with a case width of 44 mm (diameter 40.5 mm). The case is constructed in three parts.
Not only was this the first-ever Nautilus chronograph (also a flyback chronograph), but it was also powered by the then-new Caliber CH 28-520 C self-winding column-wheel chronograph movement, completely Homemade.
Patek Philippe has retained the referee dial. The 5980 minimized the size of the chronograph by opting to use a single counter rather than multiple sub-dials. This single counter is used to display the elapsed minutes and hours of the chronograph. What’s more, the chronograph hand doubles as a running sweep second hand, which can run continuously without any negative impact on the movement. There is also a date window at 3 o’clock.
Other models of the Nautilus Chronograph 5980 later joined the collection:
2010: Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1A-014, stainless steel case, integrated bracelet, black dial
2010: Nautilus Chronograph 5980R, rose gold case, leather strap, brown dial
2012: Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1A-019, stainless steel case, integrated bracelet, white dial
2013: Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1AR, two-tone rose gold/steel case with integrated bracelet, blue dial
2013: Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1R, rose gold case, integrated bracelet, black dial
Rose gold and two-tone variants are still part of the current catalogue, but the steel versions (blue and white dials) were discontinued in 2014.
Nautilus Annual Calendar No. 5726
After the 30th anniversary, Patek Philippe continues to expand the Nautilus collection. In 2010, for example, the company launched an annual calendar version with a moon phase display. The Nautilus Annual Calendar ref. 5726A from 2010 has a 40.5mm stainless steel case, gradient black dial and black leather strap.
There are day and month windows below the 12 o’clock position on the dial. In addition, there are moon phases and a 24-hour subdial at 6 o’clock, with a superimposed date window. Of course, as an annual calendar watch, the watch will continue to display the correct date throughout the year, with the exception of March 1, which requires a manual adjustment once a year.
Patek Philippe released other variants of the Nautilus 5726 over the next few years:
2012: Nautilus 5726/1A-001, stainless steel case, matching stainless steel integrated bracelet, black dial
2012: Nautilus 5726/1A-010 with stainless steel integrated bracelet, white dial
2019: Nautilus 5726/1A-014, stainless steel case, matching stainless steel integrated bracelet, blue-black dial
The Nautilus Annual Calendar with a black dial and a black leather strap, as well as the blue dial with a steel bracelet, remain in the current catalogue.
Nautilus Chronograph Travel Time Ref. 5990
In 2014, the collection received another large complication with the launch of the Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5990, with a chronograph and two time zones. There are two hour hands in the center of the dial, the hollow hands indicate the home time, and the solid hands indicate the local time. When the two times are the same, the hands overlap. There are also two separate day/night indicators labeled “LOCAL” and “HOME”. Finally, the date subdial is at 12 o’clock, while the chronograph 60-minute counter is at 6 o’clock. online cheap watch
The case measures 40.5mm, but has been redesigned to accommodate the then-new and complicated Nautilus models. The once-common hinge on the left side of the case is replaced by a positive and negative corrector to operate the watch’s functions. Patek Philippe has cleverly designed these correctors to resemble the original ‘ears’ of the Nautilus, without sacrificing the iconic design of the watch.
The first generation of the Nautilus Time Travel Chronograph was the ref. 5990/1A with a steel case, steel integrated bracelet and black dial. This model was discontinued in 2022, but was replaced that same year by a blue-dial model, which we discuss in Chapter 4, together with the rose gold 5990/1R, introduced in 2021.
Lady Nautilus References
So far, this chapter has only covered the men’s Nautilus models. However, the women’s version occupies a large portion of the collection and is well worth a closer look.
In 2009, Patek Philippe launched a new women’s Nautilus watch in 18K white gold and 18K rose gold, with a bezel set with diamonds (Ref. 7010/1) or without diamonds (Ref. 7011/1). These models feature a 32mm case, water resistance to 60 meters, an integrated metal bracelet, time and date functions on the dial, and a quartz movement. The following year, the women’s Nautilus ref. 7010 model with leather strap joined the collection.
In 2010, Patek Philippe launched a new High Jewelry Ladies Nautilus watch (Ref. 7021/1), in rose gold and white gold, with a dial, case and bracelet beautifully paved with diamonds. These models are powered by an automatic movement and feature a 33.6mm case. Other versions were added over the next few years, including the steel reference. 7008/1A with diamond bezel, gold model. 7014/1 with baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel and center bracelet links, steel model 7014/1. 7018/1 with diamond bezel and updated dial.
For 2015, the new automatic ladies Nautilus ref. 7118 with a 35mm case is available for the first time in stainless steel and rose gold. The reference 7118/1200 has diamonds on the bezel, while the reference 7118/1200 has diamonds on the bezel. Model 7118/1 does not. With its wave-patterned dial, well-proportioned case and integrated bracelet, reference 7118 remains the flagship Nautilus watch for women.