Of all the watches Patek Philippe has crafted, the Nautilus may just be their most coveted. Unfortunately, the watch’s popularity was so great amongst collectors, the Nautilus soon threatened to overshadow other pieces in the Patek Philippe collection, so the company took the only course of action it could—it discontinued the line. As a celebration of the impact the Nautilus had on the world of horology, Patek Philippe released a special edition green dial Nautilus that sold out almost immediately. For a while, collectors were convinced their chance to collect the Nautilus had come and gone. However, on December 6, 2021 Patek Philippe announced one last release of the Nautilus 5711 in Tiffany Blue (ref. no. 5711/1A-018) as a celebration of its 170 years long relationship with Tiffany & Co., which is why, on the sapphire crystal caseback, one can find “Tiffany & Co. – Patek Philippe 170th Anniversary 1851 – 2021”. This time, the watch truly is expected to be completely discontinued, and, as of January 18th, 2022 the watch can no longer be found on the company’s website.
How the Nautilus was Conceived of
Initially, the Nautilus was introduced as one of the first sports watches to sport an entirely stainless steel case and bracelet, following closely behind the Audemar Piguet Royal Oak. The watch was intended to give Patek Philippe a more modern appearance. It did so by adding iconic vertical bars across the dial, swapping the traditionally round bezel for an octagonal bezel, and utilizing an integrated bracelet. The non-traditional bezel shape alongside the integrated bracelet were likely inspired, at least partially, by the Royal Oak’s use of similar designs dating back to the 1970s.
In fact, though the watch itself can take a watchmaker months to assemble, the design only took its designer Gerald Genta five minutes to put together. The name for the new design was inspired by Jules Verne’s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which was the name of a prominent submarine featured in the storyline. The name was particularly fitting given that the octagonal bezel was inspired by portholes commonly found on transatlantic liners.
The Movement Behind the Nautilus
The heart behind the Tiffany Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 is, of course, its Patek Philippe caliber 26‐330 S C movement. This movement, like all Patek Philippe movements, is entirely made in-house. It has 30 jewels and a frequency of 4HZ (or 28,800 vibrations per hour). With such a high VPH, the Nautilus still maintains an impressive 45 hour power reserve. The movement keeps the dial rather empty, with a 3:00 date complication and hacking. To add to its value, the watch also features a 21K solid gold rotor. One large component of the hefty price tag is that each movement is assembled by hand, making each of the 170 Tiffany Nautilus 5711s unique.
Investment Opportunity and Future Value Predictions
As is the case with most discontinued luxury watches, the Tiffany Blue Nautilus is expected to greatly increase in value. Initially, the Nautilus has a market suggested retail price (MSRP) of approximately $52,000, but, in typical Patek Philippe fashion, a Tiffany Blue Nautilus 5711 recently sold at auction for just north of six million dollars. Though it is highly unlikely that each of the 170 Nautilus watches produced will fetch prices of nearly that high, the watch could easily be sold for quadruple the initial MSRP.
Celebrities Spotted With Tiffany Blue Nautilus 5711
1. Jay-Z
Jay-Z was one of the first celebrities seen with the Tiffany Blue Nautilus,
which, given both Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé’s status as Tiffany & Co official ambassadors, makes a lot of sense. The Tiffany Blue Nautilus 5711 will go well with the rest of the rapper’s extensive Patek Philippe collection. He was seen with the watch on December 15, 2021.
2. Lebron James
Lebron used to be an ambassador for Audemars Piguet, but clearly his contract must have lapsed because he was caught sporting this Tiffany Blue Nautilus 5711 on December 25, 2021.
3. Corey Gamble
Although it is impossible to know for sure whether Corey Gamble, an American business executive, better known as Kris Jenner’s long term boyfriend, received a Tiffany Blue Nautilus 5711, this photo certainly makes it look like he did. This photo was taken December 25, 2021 after Lebron was seen with the same watch.
4. Zach Lu, The Auction Winner
Zach is by no means a celebrity, but he was ultimately the recipient of the six million dollar Tiffany Blue Nautilus 5711 watch sold at auction. Initially, the watch was set to go to a different bidder; however when they were unable to pay, the watch was sold to Lu. There is an interesting article about how he came to acquire the allocation on Hodinkee.
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About the Author
Peter Collins
Peter is a writer, photographer, and intrepid podcast host from Vancouver, BC, Canada. From mountain peaks to Autobahn blasts and diving on remote coral atolls, he is a mechanical obsessive with a passion for adventure.
