Breaking News: Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A With A Green Dial (And A Date Window Surround)
It seems not even Patek Philippe is immune to the olive green trend we’ve seen sweep the industry in recent months. Following the high-profile discontinuation of the 5711 blue dial earlier this year, we knew something was just around the corner. This model, reference 5711/1A-014, is touted as the last of its kind. The last Nautilus of this generation, or so we believe. The question to you, dear Fratelli, is do you think that this olive green version is a fitting swan song for one of the industry’s most enduring classics?
The Patek Philippe Nautilus has undergone many subtle changes throughout its almost half-century of existence. Few iterations have been as beloved and well balanced as the 5711, however. This model does not mess with the winning formula. We have the same case and bracelet, finished in the same fashion as before. The dimensions (40mm×8.3mm) stay the same, which is no bad thing. While a 40mm almost-square might sound big (especially considering the exceptional thinness of this piece in light of its 120m water resistance), the Nautilus, with its wide bezel and cheeky chappy ears always manages to appear perfectly balanced on the wrist.
A pleasing step
I think that’s why the Nautilus always outpunched the Royal Oak for me. It is a weird, almost impossible-to-grasp blend of grace and strength. It is just about as masculine as 8.3mm of anything can be. And while the blue dial was perhaps the obvious choice for a classic sports watch that clearly draws inspiration from the sea, I find this latest addition a pleasing step in a trendy direction.
Do I prefer it? No, I don’t. While I’ve extolled brands for embracing this “mature” shade of green in the past, I’ve never been madly in love with it myself. However, I do think the shade suits the watch (as it did with the more youthful Aquanaut), and I think we will see plenty of hungry Patek lovers flock to this new model, which is not limited edition and (supposedly) priced at €30,400. There is a diamond bezel version too, which enters the catalog with the reference number 5711/1300A and a retail price around €90,000.
Can you spot the difference?
There is no change to the 26-330 S C automatic movement, which has handled the timekeeping side of things for the 5711 for more than a decade now (first used in 2009). It is a simple time and date movement with the black-on-white date window prominently placed at 3 o’clock. Here we see one difference from the outgoing blue-dialed version: the new reference 5711/1A-014 has a polished silver-colored date window where the old model had nothing but a chamfered step-down to the date.
If my eagle eyes do not fail me (and correct me if this turns out not to be the case once we get these models in hand), but the typeface used for the date is also different. As far as I can tell from the whistle-stop research I’ve done this morning, this is an entirely new font for the brand. I expected it to have been borrowed from the funkier Aquanaut, but this is not the case. Previously, the Aquanaut also used the oddly gracile font employed by the outgoing 5711. I have to say, I like the new font more but could have done without the date window. Regardless, somehow the digits look less crammed into that 3 o’clock aperture than they did in the past, despite the fact they must be thicker and bolder as a result.
No more nonsense, please
Let’s hope we don’t see any more of the nonsense we saw this week from a handful of formerly reputable authorized dealers. If you missed this, it has come to light that some retailers that have been listing brand new desirable models as pre-loved and jacking up the price to the crazy levels we saw the discontinued 5711A reach last summer. My hope is that these watches find their way onto the wrists of genuine collectors and watch lovers that have dreamed of owning a Nautilus 5711 for a long end. That, above all else, would be a fitting end to a glorious chapter in the brand’s history. Learn more at Patek Philippe’s official site.
