Patek Philippe celebrates a half-century of the Nautilus with a platinum watch that will fly out of the vitrines

Of the thousands of watch designs created during the past century, Patek Philippe’s Nautilus is among the few that can fairly be described as horological landmarks. Penned by the late, great Gérald Genta (famed for creating the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak), the Nautilus was launched in 1976 as Patek Philippe’s first integrated bracelet sports watch, complete with a hefty $3,000 price tag, despite the first models being made from steel.

The original Reference 3700/1A broke all the rules with its large-but-slim 42mm case with unique “horns” at the three and nine o’clock positions, a flat, porthole-shaped bezel, and horizontal lines stamped onto its blue-gray dial. Known as the “Jumbo,” it gave rise over the next 40-odd years to others in the collection of varying sizes, made from different materials, and offering a variety of complications that ensured the range offered “something for everyone.”

But the legend of the Jumbo endured, and its most recent iteration, the Ref. 5711, launched 20 years ago, proved to be a victim of its own success. The Covid pandemic watch-buying frenzy saw prices spiral out of control to the point that one of the 170 examples with Tiffany blue dials, released to mark Patek’s 170-year partnership with the New York jeweler, sold at auction for $6.5m – a staggering 130 times above retail.

The sale confirmed Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern’s suspicions that the 5711 was in danger of becoming the tail that wagged the dog – so, amid much anguish from fans, it was axed from the range. Rumors and hopes prevailed that this year’s 50th anniversary of the original Nautilus would bring a “revived” 5711. Instead, Patek has quietly celebrated the famous model’s half-century with a trio of similar-but-different limited editions and (unexpectedly) a Nautilus-shaped desk clock.

The pick of the bunch might well be the Ref. 5610/1P, a 38mm, ultra-thin platinum variant with a deep-blue dial that recalls the original “medium” Nautilus launched in the ’80s – and which captures the current zeitgeist for smaller case sizes that’s showing little sign of going away. There are 2,000 examples available at $112,529, for a watch that will probably never go down in value.