Even one of the most iconic watches ever competes with something — only in this case, it’s with itself. Here’s a showdown between two variants of the legendary Patek Philippe Nautilus
As a watch journalist, I'm always cautious of praising a watch beyond the scope that it deserves, but it is only fair to admit that some watches do deserve our praise. One watch that deserves its plaudits is the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Without getting carried away, the Nautilus is a serious contender for the most iconic watch of the modern era, if not of all time.
History and Context
Like most cultural icons, it is essential to understand the history and context within which that icon arose to know why it is what it is today. For the Nautilus, that endeavour to understand brings us back to its release in 1976. Designed by the late great Gerald Genta, the Nautilus was a defensive reaction to both the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and the ensuing Quartz Crisis.
The 1970s were a far cry from what they are today, horologically speaking. Where modern smartwatches have arguably brought the wrist back into the public's conscience and benefitted Swiss brands, the Quartz Crisis was the opposite. Cheaper, more accurate and far trendier Japanese quartz timepieces were flooding the wristwatch market and ballooning in popularity. As a result, Swiss watchmakers were falling to their knees and going into bankruptcy nearly every day.
On the back of this, Audemars Piguet had Gerald Genta design a new revolutionary watch in 1972. The watch in question? The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Unlike anything anyone had seen before, and effectively creating the luxury steel sports watch market, it can be said the Royal Oak made quite a splash. Such a splash that Patek Philippe, AP's main competitor, knew they had to get in on the action with a version of their own.
Patek gets Genta
Reaching out to the very same man who designed the Royal Oak, Patek commissioned Gerald Genta to create its first luxury steel sports watch in 1976. They initially hoped for the Nautilus to compete with the Royal Oak, but it was slow to sell, like the Royal Oak originally. With the precedent set by Audemars, Patek knew the market existed, so they took their time evolving the Nautilus. Ultimately, this paid off, and the Nautilus experienced strong demand and grew into what it is today as perhaps the hardest watch to buy at retail, ever.
Given that it was inspired by the Royal Oak, designed by the same man and competing with it, we can begin to understand the Nautilus' design language. Named after the submarine featured in Jules Verne's classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Nautilus was borne from a nautical, sea-faring aesthetic, much like the Royal Oak. This becomes more obvious when you consider the Nautilus' rather distinctive case shape that mirrors a ship's porthole, not much unlike the diver's helmet that inspired the Royal Oak.
The story goes that Genta sketched the Nautilus on a restaurant's napkin in just five minutes while sitting across a table of Patek executives in Basel. While the case shape is a distinctive feature of the Nautilus, its integrated bracelet and rounded off octagonal bezel are also just as crucial to its design. Like the Royal Oak, the integrated bracelet flows into the case via a centre link and turns the watch into a single object instead of a watch head and bracelet.
The Nautilus we all want
Today, the recently discontinued 5711/1A exists as the ultimate Nautilus reference for most collectors. With its 40mm case, 120m water resistance and iconic aesthetic, the 5711/1A is the luxury sports watch that everybody wants to have. One of the 5711/1A's most iconic features is perhaps its navy blue horizontally embossed dial. Just like the Nautilus' distinctive case shape, integrated bracelet and octagonal bezel, its dial builds upon the iconic aesthetic for which is so highly revered and acts as the main differentiator between it and other Nautilus models, like the white dial 5711/1A that was discontinued in early 2020.
Anniversary Edition
While the 5711/1A rules over the realm of conventional luxury sports watches, there lies a watch that even it answers to, and that is the 5711/1P. Released in 2016 to celebrate the Nautilus' 40th anniversary, it goes without saying the 5711/1P is an extraordinary watch. Aside from the fact that it is a limited edition anniversary Patek Philippe, it is a limited edition anniversary Nautilus, of all watches.
Released as part of a duo of anniversary Nautilus', the 5711/1P was the simpler, more exclusive and ultimately more svelte of the pair. Limited to just 700 pieces, the 5711/1P now reigns as one of the most exclusive Nautilus' around. While its upgrades might be subtle at a glance, a second look will quickly reveal what the 5711/1P packs that the regular 5711/1A does not.
Comparisons
As hinted by the 5711/1P's reference, the 5711/1P swaps the 5711/1A's steel construction for a purely platinum one. On top of that, the 5711/1P's dial trades the 5711/1A's signature navy-blue for a brighter shade of blue — perhaps to reveal the 5711/1P's secret from across the room. Continuing with the dial, the 5711/1P comes fitted with baguette-cut diamond hour markers and a two-line inscription above the 6 o'clock position that reads "40" and "1976-2016", revealing its anniversary status.
Having both now gained reverential status within the watch collecting community as exclusive, valuable and down-right gorgeous, the 5711, in both of its forms, is a watch that most can only dream of acquiring. While it might be out of favour with those that are bored of seeing it on social media all the time, there is a good reason we see it so often: it is an iconic watch. Whether you may like it or not, you have to admit it; the Nautilus has become a watch that most brands can only dream of replicating.
