The Swiss watchmaker joins Watches and Wonders Geneva 2021 for the first time, and introduces a new dial to a soon-to-be-discontinued timepiece.
Following the announcement that 2021 will be the last production year of the stainless steel model Ref. 5711/1A, Patek Philippe presents a new olive green sunburst dial. 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 also debuts.
Unconventional history
Launched in 1976 , the Nautilus was surprising for being in stainless steel, which was unusual for a luxury watch. Its octagonal bezel with rounded corners also departed from conventional designs. With a case was inspired by a ship’s porthole, the watch had water resistance up to 120 meters.
On the occasion of its 30th anniversary in 2006, its style was 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.
Apart from the models with three hands and a date, the Nautilus collection also includes five complicated timepieces which combine sports appeal with 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; and the Ref. 5740 Nautilus with a perpetual calendar.
In 2009, the ladies’ Nautilus models were reworked, with smaller formats and refined details: 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.
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.
A new dial
The Ref. 5711/1A Nautilus flagship model launched in 2006 was presented with a blue, black gradated dial. From 2012 to 2019, the model used a silvery white dial. 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.
Now that it has been announced that the Ref. 5711/1A in stainless steel will soon be discontinued, the watchmaker is unveiling an olive green dial, a hue that has not existed before in the Nautilus collection. The color is contrasted against the timepiece’s luminescent hands and hour markers in white gold.
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.
Unusual combination
With the new Ref. 5711/1300A-001, the Swiss luxury house marries steel with a row of 32 flawless 3.6-karat Top Wesselton baguette diamonds. Each diamond has a special slightly trapezoidal shape instead of the classic rectangle and is cut to match the octagonal bezel with the rounded corners.
Featuring the typical Nautilus horizontally embossed décor, the watch’s case and 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.
Fresh look
The Ref. 5990/1 Nautilus launched in stainless steel in 2014 with a dial that has a black gradation to the periphery. It combines three 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, which is juxtaposed 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.
Its 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.
Rare setting
The ladies’ Nautilus watches come in various haute joaillerie versions set with brilliant-cut or baguette diamonds. From 2013 to 2018, Patek Philippe offered a rose-gold model that was adorned with diamonds in a random pavé (or snow) setting.
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, and the case is somewhat larger, with a diameter of 35.2 mm.
The new Ref. 7118/1450R-001 Nautilus has a total of 2,553 12.69-karat Top Wesselton brilliant-cut diamonds. This look is created with random pave, a highly sophisticated method mastered down to the last detail by the manufacture’s artisans. It consists of setting and fixing diamonds of different sizes, minimizing the exposure of precious metal between the individual stones in the process.
Its 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.
It is outfitted with a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp that is secured with four independent catches.
For more information, visit Patek.com.
