patek philippe nautilus 5711 40th anniversary closeup

PATEK PHILIPPE – NAUTILUS REFERENCE 5711/1P

AN OCEAN WAVE CALLED NAUTILUS

1976 marked a turning point in Patek Philippe’s history when it unveiled a now iconic watch. 40 years later and the Genevan brand is launching a new limited edition in keeping with the original Nautilus style to celebrate four decades of success.

Philippe Stern, the son of owner Patek Philippe Henri Stern (1911-2002) and member of the management department at the time, designed a piece inspired by his passion for sailing in collaboration with the famous watch designer Gérald Genta in 1976 (1931-2011). The name Nautilus comes from the sea mollusc living in a shimmering coffee striped shell and the avant-garde submarine dreamt up by Jules Verne (1828-1905) in 1869 in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. The steel watch makes quite a statement (lateral structures left and right of the case reminiscent of a porthole’s casing and a dial striped like a sailor’s top) enabling Patek Philippe to dive into the sports watch sector. The Nautilus has come in a wide array of versions since launching and was redesigned in 2006 for its 30th anniversary.

patek philippe nautilus 5711 40th anniversary closeup

Wide embossed horizontal stripes in a sumptuous sea blue wash over the PVD-coated yellow gold dial. Twelve white gold markers paved with baguette-cut diamonds form the hour rim with two white gold baton-shape hands highlighted by a luminescent dash. A rhodium-plated bronze central seconds hand tracks the seconds whilst a black-on-white date lies in a silver bevelled display at 3.

The limited edition Nautilus reference 5711/1P (700 available) bears the figures “40” and “1976-2016” (at 6) on the dial.

Price on request patek.com

By Sharmila Bertin