Patek Philippe bids farewell to one of its most (if not most) coveted models while welcoming new members to the Genevan manufacture&rsquo;s famous Nautilus family.

When Patek Philippe announced early this year that 2021 will see its final production of the stainless steel Nautilus model Ref. 5711/1A, horology enthusiasts and brand loyalists were driven to distraction. For the model&rsquo;s last hurrah or closing chapter, the Genevan manufacture presented a brand-new olive-green sunburst dial, revealed at Patek Philippe&rsquo;s Watches &amp; Wonders Geneva debut, among the four new faces in its Nautilus collection.
The Nautilus truly needs no grand introduction in the universe of fine watchmaking&mdash;its reputation and popularity precede it as the world&rsquo;s most desired watch&mdash;if stratospheric auction prices of its resale pieces are anything to go by (but that is a story for another day).
Launched in 1976, the Nautilus ascended to fame for various reasons. One was the fact that its choice of stainless steel was unique and unusual for a luxury watch&mdash;accentuating and propelling it into a hallmark of casual elegance that proved irresistible in the jet-set era of the &rsquo;70s.

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 Flaunting an inimitable octagonal bezel with rounded corners inspired by a ship&rsquo;s porthole, it set itself apart from conventional designs prevalent at the time. Besides an exceptional robustness and water resistance to 120 m, the arresting interplay of polished and satin-brushed finissage made the wristwatch a standout in form and silhouette. 
 Furthermore, the horizontal relief embossing on the dial and integrated steel bracelet with external links that tapered in the clasp&rsquo;s direction bolstered and sealed its perfect incarnation as an effortless icon and the object of obsession it is today.
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Over the years, the Nautilus has undergone subtle reworking, namely in 2006 for its 30th anniversary. The current collection comprises over 25 renditions for both ladies and men, rendered in stainless steel, rose gold, white gold or bicolour (steel/rose gold) as well as metal bracelets or alligator leather straps.
Also included are five complicated timepieces, juxtaposing a sports sensibility with extraordinary technical finesse, in addition to its &ldquo;three hands and a date&rdquo; versions.

REF. 5711/1A-014 NAUTILUS
The flagship model of the Nautilus timepiece family, the Ref. 5711/1A in steel with a blue-black gradated dial was introduced in 2006 to commemorate its 30th anniversary. It was joined in 2015 by the Ref. 5711/1R-001 in rose gold, complemented with a dial in brown-black gradation from the centre to the periphery, as a palette extension.
For the stainless steel Ref. 5711/1A&rsquo;s final curtain call, Patek Philippe&rsquo;s fond tribute to the discontinuation of its cult model is unveiled with a never-seen-before olive-green sunburst dial in the Nautilus collection. The new Ref. 5711/1A-014 replaces the Ref. 5711/1A-010 with a blue-black gradated dial and joins the Ref. 5711/1R-001 in rose gold.

The understated olive-green hue with a sunburst finish creates a harmonious effect with the steel case to give off a contemporary look&mdash;replete with optimised all-day-and-night legibility while perfectly contrasting against the luminescent hands and hour markers in white gold. Without fail, the satin-brushed and polished finissage elements&mdash;the manual work totalling 55 individual finishing steps&mdash;on the bezel, case, and bracelet captivate as they embellish the watch&rsquo;s recognisable contours.

The case, water resistant to 120 m, houses the self-winding caliber 26-330 S C&mdash;the same movement that has been powering the Ref. 5711 since 2019 and a spin-off of the caliber 324 S C&mdash;offers several innovations and technical optimizations, especially of the winding system. A stop- seconds mechanism is among the movement&rsquo;s features that allows the watch to be set with one-second accuracy; while the sapphire-crystal case back reveals its immaculate architecture and finissage that symbolise Patek Philippe&rsquo;s long-standing traditions.

REF. 5711/1300A-001 NAUTILUS
For a brighter shine, the Ref. 5711/1300A-001 debuts a spectacular partnership between cool steel with baguette-cut diamonds that usually only accompany precious metal. Emphasising the distinguishing shape of the bezel and case is a row of 32 flawless Top Wesselton baguette diamonds of approximately 3.6-carats, set to the highest standards of the master jeweller&rsquo;s art.
However, it is more than meets the eye with respect to the baguette-cut diamonds&mdash;not straightforward, run-of-the-mill variety but boasting a highly refined detail. Instead of the classic rectangle, each baguette diamond exemplifies a special slightly trapezoidal shape and is cut to perfectly match the octagonal bezel with the rounded corners. The fire of the diamonds also does much to illuminate the olive-green dial of the Ref. 5711/1300A-001, which is identical to the one designated for the Ref. 5711/1A-014.

Adorning the exclusive dial is the quintessential Nautilus horizontally embossed d&eacute;cor, highlighted by the delicately shimmering sunburst finish and paired with hour markers and the slightly rounded baton hands in white gold&mdash;coated with a luminous compound for high legibility round the clock. The fit of a Nautilus is always impeccable with the case and its integrated bracelet wrapping snugly around one&rsquo;s wrist.

A Nautilus requisite defined by the exquisite interaction between manually polished and satin-finished elements articulates the watch&rsquo;s individual contours. Water resistant to 120 m and bestowed with the same new self-winding caliber 26-330 S C as the Ref. 5711/1A-014, the Ref. 5711/1300A-001&rsquo;s mechanical movement is one you can appreciate visually from the sapphire-crystal case back with just a slight turn of the wrist.

REF. 5990/1R-001 NAUTILUS TRAVEL TIME CHRONOGRAPH
The third Nautilus model among the quartet unveiled by Patek Philippe in April this year has its origins in the Ref. 5990/1 Nautilus in stainless steel with a black-gradated dial from centre to the periphery. Launched in 2014, it combined three useful and conveniently operable complications: a flyback chronograph, a Travel Time function (two time zones) and an analogue date at 12 o&rsquo;clock synchronised with local time.

For 2021, joining the Ref. 5990/1A in stainless steel is the new Ref. 5990/1R-001 in rose gold, which emanates a beautiful contrast courtesy of the horizontally embossed blue sunburst dial as well as with the hour markers and hands in rose gold with luminous coatings. Like the case and the bezel, the rose-gold bracelet encapsulates alternating polished and satin-brushed finissage, paired with a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp that is secured with four independent catches.
Again, water resistant to 120 m, this watch is powered by the self-winding chronograph caliber CH 28-520 C FUS&mdash;a movement melding venerable traditions (column wheel control) with avant-garde inclinations (disk clutch). The dial showcases a sweep chronograph hand complementing a 60-minute counter at 6 o&rsquo;clock, alongside a flyback function that enables the instant start of a new short-time measurement while the chronograph is already running. To do this, press the pusher at 4 o&rsquo;clock without first stopping the hand with the pusher at 2 o&rsquo;clock.

For the Travel Time system, the reliance is on the two hour hands from the centre. The hours of home time are indicated by the pierced hand whereby the hours of local time are shown by the solid hand. To display the time elsewhere or while on a travel trip, simply select a second time zone by using the &ldquo;+&rdquo; and &ldquo;-&rdquo; pushers in the case flank at 9 o&rsquo;clock to shift the local-time hand forward or backward in one-hour steps.
Throughout this process, the pierced hand does not halt in displaying the hour that applies to home time. Two day/ night indicators, clearly identified with LOCAL and HOME inscriptions, define this ingenious mechanism. Something that proves pertinent in homebound scenarios (as we have been for many months)&mdash;if one has no need of the time in another time zone, the two hour hands can be superposed as if they were a single hand.

REF. 7118/1450R-001 NAUTILUS HAUTE JOAILLERIE
Crowning this year&rsquo;s Nautilus line-up is a ladies haute joaillerie version, emblematic of the ones created by Patek Phillipe, set with brilliant-cut diamonds or baguette diamonds. It revisits a rose-gold model&mdash;Ref. 7021/1R-001 produced from 2013 to 2018&mdash;with a dial decorated with diamonds in a random pav&eacute; setting or snow-setting.

Now showcasing diamond snow-setting on the case, bezel and bracelet, the new Ref. 7118/1450R-001 Nautilus Haute Joaillerie in rose-gold dial dazzles with a dial decked with individual diamond rows exhibiting a fine undulated relief&mdash; characteristic of the Nautilus ladies&rsquo; collection. Secondly, differentiating it from its predecessor is a slightly bigger 35.2 mm case from 10 to 4 o&rsquo;clock versus to the previous 33.6 mm.

Maximising the scintillating sparkle are 2553 flawless Top Wesselton brilliant-cut diamonds of around 12.69 carats positioned in the very rare snow-setting technique, also known as random pav&eacute;&mdash;one mastered down to the last detail by the manufacture&rsquo;s artisans. What this entails is the setting and affixing of assorted-sized diamonds in a mission to minimise exposed precious metal between the individual stones.
The one-of-a-kind piece is endowed with perfect legibility, thanks to &ldquo;Alpha&rdquo; hour and minute hands, and applied Arabic numerals in luminous rose gold. The sapphire-crystal case back reveals a self-winding caliber 324 S movement with elaborate finissage, while an 18k rose-gold bracelet, outfitted with a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp secured with four independent catches, guarantees sheer comfort as well as a gleaming finish.

Visit <a href="https://www.patek.com/en/home">patek.com</a> to find out more.

Patek Philippe debuts new members of its 2021 Nautilus family

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