The Patek Philippe Ref. 5740 Nautilus Perpetual Calendar
Showcasing the first-ever complication in the Nautilus collection, the Ref. 5740 is a horological firepower. Today, we deep-dive into this dynamic timepiece, which is not just a sports icon but also an extremely complicated offering from Patek Philippe
The Patek Philippe Nautilus is a watch that I have waxed lyrical about for years now. It was the first Patek Philippe model that I fell in love with when I began to discover high-end luxury watchmaking, and this was long before the current state of market affairs, whereby you almost have to apologise for even thinking about this unobtainable timepiece. Nevertheless, with its unusual octagonal case, somewhat-grounded stainless steel construction and unusual design, it was a watch that I really connected with.
At the time, I was rather new to the world of watchmaking and the Nautilus Ref. 5711 was a Patek Philippe model that I felt like I could wear straight away without the need to understand any of the complexities that a traditional complication-clad Patek Philippe might come along with. Granted, I was new to the hobby and certainly wasn’t in the market for a Nautilus, but I made a genuine connection with the watch all the same. It was the Patek that I appreciated the most. But, perhaps driven by my naivety rather than anything else, I just liked the watch for its face value, which was all that mattered. I didn’t know about its history, mechanics, craftsmanship or anything else. Those were all facets of the Nautilus that I have had to learn over time.
So, over the years, I have developed a better understanding of the complexities that surround and occupy complicated watches, while also learning about the Nautilus’ history and the environment that surrounded its release in the 1970s. With those learnings, I began to cast my eye out from the time and date-only Ref. 5711 and onto the shores of its complicated neighbours. Don’t get me wrong; I love the Ref. 5711, I genuinely do, but there is one Nautilus that marries my love of everything that drove me to the Ref. 5711 in the first place with the learnings I have made over the last few years, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5740G is that watch.
Some Nautilus History
While I’m sure the majority of us have heard the story by now, the Nautilus’ history is too important just to skip entirely. Designed by Gerald Genta and launched in 1976, it was a direct response to Audemars Piguet’s very own Gerald Genta-designed paradigm-shifting Royal Oak. The Nautilus was a luxury stainless steel sports watch that sought to fight fire with fire. In its early days, it was ultimately failing until Patek decided to launch a mid-sized variant, the Ref. 3800.
With this smaller 37.5mm model, they brought the Nautilus a little bit closer to the refined proportions that Patek Philippe was known for and ultimately got the Nautilus on wrists. Where the larger 42mm “Jumbo” Ref. 3700 was failing, the Ref. 3800 succeeded. In the same vein, the modern Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5740 brings the Nautilus collection back to home base and allows the Nautilus to exist as a fully-fledged Patek Philippe family member. While it took them a while to get there, I love the Ref. 5740G for the simple fact that it represents exactly what Patek Philippe are known for; exquisite luxury watchmaking that cuts no corners while remaining true to the beautiful design that sucked me into the Nautilus in the first place.
The Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G
Launched in 2018, the Ref. 5740G represented the absolute peak of the Nautilus’ watchmaking guile. While other models have featured chronographs, annual calendars and second time zones, the Ref. 5740G brings the Nautilus into the world of true haute horology as the collection’s first grand complication. Acceptably, it is a deviation from the Nautilus’ simple roots as a sports watch, but the Ref. 5740G wonderfully represents the Nautilus’ evolution through time.
The watch market isn’t static; collectors want to be amazed, and like my own journey through watchmaking has taught me, there is a lot more to appreciate than just the initial connection you make with a watch. In fact, there is so much more. The heritage, mechanics, craftsmanship and everything else that I once overlooked are put on centre stage by the Ref. 5740G, so let’s explore them as they deserve to be explored.
The Construction
Easily the Nautilus’ most famed aspect is its construction. Made entirely of 18kt white gold, the Ref. 5740G pays homage to the Nautilus’ stainless steel aesthetic while still retaining the absolute luxury of a precious metal construction. Like the complexity of its movement, this steely construction is a subtle “if you know you know” move by the famed Genevan watchmaker.
With a 40mm porthole-inspired case, integrated bracelet with polished centre links and gently polished bevels on its flanks and a thick polished bevel along the periphery of its octagonal bezel, the Ref. 5740G is absolutely immaculate, and the stunning glow of its 18k white gold works perfectly with the mix of surface finishes.
The Dial
Just like the 18k white gold case appears only slightly different to the Nautilus’ usual stainless steel, the Ref. 5740G sports a beautiful blue dial that is, in fact, several shades lighter than the Nautilus’ traditional blue dial. While the Ref. 5711 and other Nautilus variants sport dark blue dials with a hint of grey, the Ref. 5740G's blue dial sports a sunburst finish that results in a wonderful effect on the wrist.
The Ref. 5740G’s dial also features the Nautilus’ iconic horizontal embossing and applied indices with bright white lume and inscriptions. With three subdials, each containing two displays, the Ref. 5740G reads the day of the week, the date, the month, the leap year, the time on a 24-hour scale (also known as an AM/PM indicator) and the phase of the moon in the night sky. A far stretch from the hours, minutes and date-only display of the original Nautilus, the Ref. 3700, the Ref. 5740G, like I said, embodies the decades of improvement and evolution that have gone into the Nautilus.
The Movement
As part of its busy dial, the Ref. 5740G also sports the most complicated movement to ever feature in the Nautilus collection, Patek Philippe’s automatic Cal. 240 Q. With its eponymous perpetual calendar function, it is a heavy-hitting movement and quite an impressive one at that. Standing just 3.88mm tall, it is incredibly thin considering all the functions it offers.
On display behind an exhibition caseback, its 22k yellow gold micro-rotor weight acts as the main visual draw that the old me would have been fixated on. Still, its beautiful finishing, such as its côtes de Genève engraving, anglage, perlage, polished screws and so on, are all subtle tells of its pristine quality that I have grown to appreciate over the years.
My Take-Aways
A genuinely fantastic watch, the Ref. 5740G is a testament to the versatility within the Nautilus’ design – in terms of its ability to work as a sports watch as well as an extremely complicated luxury icon in precious metal. It’s a watch I’ll always yearn to own and I can’t help but feel that my appreciation for the Ref. 5740G will only grow over time as I continue to learn more and deepen my understanding of watchmaking and its many facets.
