PERPETUAL ELEGANCE
With an inspired design by Gérald Genta, the Nautilus sails through time without ageing. In fact, it’s just as attractive as ever! And here’s the proof with this first great complication…
In 2016, Patek Philippe celebrated the 40th anniversary of its elegant Nautilus sports watches. The manufacture introduced a series of limited editions that stood out, among other things, for their appealing aesthetic signature – a blue sunburst dial. To the joy of the aficionados, the same colour now adorns the new Nautilus reference 5740/1G-001, unveiled at Baselworld 2018. But this model not only attracts the eye, but is also remarkable because it features the first major complication in the range: the automatic movement is designed to drive a perpetual date display.
The watch owner can read the day and a 24-hour display on a counter at 9 o’clock. In a counter at 3 o’clock are the current month and the cycle of leap years. Rounding off the time information, the counter at 6 o’clock includes the moon phases, with no correction necessary for the next 122 years. The counter is encircled by the date scale.
All these elements are powered by the extra-flat calibre 240 Q, which, when wound, will provide up to 48 hours of power reserve. The mechanism has attracted attention for many years since it was used in cushion-shaped watches and in Calatrava-type watches. To fit it snugly into the unusual design of the Nautilus, the watchmakers had to change the position of the correctors, making them more accessible on the body of the grey-gold case (40mm wide and just 8.42mm thick). The Nautilus reference 5740/1G-001 comes with a strap with a polished, satin finish and a folding clasp made in the same material for unmatchable elegance.
Price: 105,000 CHF patek.com
By Dan Diaconu