Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/R-001: the bright side of life
Almost 40 years ago, Patek Phillipe introduced the Nautilus and brought its own style to Sport-Chic watchmaking. The first model of this now key range, the 5711/1, is today a pleasure for enthusiasts of exceptional pieces.
By Vincent Daveau
Contributor
To understand what motivated the Stern family to launch the Nautilus collection, we need to look back to the 1970s, an era that is gradually becoming more of a fading memory even for those who lived it. True, maybe some people are still copying the pop style and colored plastic decorations, but everybody seems to have forgotten to a higher or lesser extent the atmosphere that prevailed back then.
In hindsight, 1976 was an important year as well as theyear of the heat wave. The summer of 1976 saw the last of the hippies who were hiding in Larzac, but was also the peak of the first great oil crisis.
At the time, the youngsters from 1968 were getting jobs as executives in leading companies and were starting what is known today as globalization. However, another revolt was lurking in the shadows.
Maintaining the souvenir of a new era
The new Baby Boom generation wanted to break traditions, redesign the urban landscape and erase the stigmas and symbols of the past, like wars and destruction. In this context, watches also went through a transition in design that coincided with the arrival of the first quartz watches. Whilst the first liquid crystal watches were released, Patek Philippe was working on the Nautilus. The Jet Set revolving around the hip circles of the Côte d’Azur quickly took a liking to the watch. As Stern highlighted in 2006, when this collection was launched again: “We were attracting a new clientele of rich people who were as active in their work as they were in their hobbies”.
When the reference 3700 was launched in 1976, it was accompanied by an advertising campaign that perfectly reflected the iconoclast style of the Nautilus. “One of the world’s most expensive watches is in steel”, as stated a really eye-catching ad.
“It matches both wetsuits and tuxedos”, another very revealing advert proclaimed.
Making the news
Thus, the launch of the Nautilus sent ripples through watchmaking, as, in addition to its hinges, there was much talk about its 42x7.60mm size. Including the hinges, it was much larger than any other watches of the time and it featured an original structure that guaranteed a 120-hour power reserve. Today, the “enfant terrible” of the catalogue of the biggest Genevan manufacture is a “cult object” and while it’s almost 40 years old, the Nautilus has conserved the freshness of its range and philosophy, which should seduce a new generation fond of breakthroughs.
Now that it has reached what historians call its golden age, the brand needed to revolutionize the attributes of its monument status. Therefore, in 2015, Patek Philippe will introduce the reference 5711/R-001, a new version of the Nautilus in 18-K pink gold and a 40-mm diameter in the diagonal from 10 to 4 o’clock.
In order to preserve the image of what makes the Nautilus a unique watch, Patek Philippe kept the porthole mechanism in the case but added a sapphire crystal (developed in 2006) that did not feature on previous versions of this new reference. It will now enable experts to see the finishes on the self-winding caliber ref. 324SC (date through aperture and central seconds hand) that is today stamped with the “Poinçon Patek Philipe”.
This version is equipped with a brown-black shaded-off dial and luminescent applied indexes. It maintains its sporty look and highlights its iconic aspect. In the end, this watch’s strength is what its owner wants it to be: a status symbol or the expression of a chic sporty character and a quirky spirit. So everyone will be able to choose their own style, as the piece remains luxurious and rare, regardless of the way it is worn.