- Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 / 1A has become an icon of pop culture in the 21st century.
- His judgment in 2021 was a strategic decision, not a reaction to the request for slowdown.
- The repercussions only intensify its status, sending prices on the secondary market and cementing on 5711 / 1A as a modern legend.
In an industry built on rarity and subtlety, Patek Philippe Nautilus was the horrible equivalent to drop a Bugatti engine in a Prius. Steel, sportsmanship and supposedly “entry-level”, he has become the watch that everyone, from the greatest athletes in the world to the best-selling artists, wanted.
This is precisely why Patek was forced to get rid of one of his most popular watches outings of all time … and he sent his valuation in the stratosphere.
In the 1970s, the Swiss surveillance industry was in shock from the quartz and luxury crisis houses needed a new match plan.
Gérald GentaThe legendary designer of watches of the 20th century had just shocked the world with the Royal Piguet Audemars oak, daring to produce luxury surveillance of everything except a precious metal, making stainless steel cases with the most sought -after integrated bracelets of all the pieces. It seems that port watches were about to enter the foreground of the conversation.
Patek PhilippeIn order not to be outdone by a horrible rival, the same designer instructed to create their response to an increasing market. It was tall, daring, in steel and, the most shocking, at the price of gold. The collectors were disconcerted. But over time, the Patek Philippe Nautilus (reference 3700 / 1A) has become a cult favorite.
Nautilus' birthday
30 years later, Patek Philippe published the 5711 / 1AA more refined and modernized version of the original Nautilus. It was a little larger on the wrist at 40 mm, although for modern watches, this size seems to be the choice of the people.
The 5711 / 1A was the calm of Patek. There were no diamonds around the blue dial. No complications. Just pure design, in steel, carrying the heritage of the enviable sports watch by Patek Philippe.
Those who know him saw him as ultimate surveillance; Elegant enough to wear with a costume, relaxed for a summer in euros, but rare enough to separate from all the other Rolex carriers on the planet. It was only when the 5711 / 1a apparently broke into the Zeitgeist, that its cultural attraction has reached new vertiginous peaks.
Patek Philippe who broke pop culture
At the end of the 2010s, Patek Philippes was the watches to have, sitting the wrists of Jay-Z, LeBron James, Drake, Brad Pitt and even the favorite son of Audema Piguet, John Mayer.
Ed Sheeran, whose ridiculously impressive wrist game could finance a small country, was seen sporting the brand during its live shows and, suddenly, the Minimalist Sports Watch from Geneva was everywhere Instagram, YouTube watch collections and NBA backstage photos and recording studios.
The retail price of the 5711 has always oscillated around USD $ 30,000, but getting one in detail was almost impossible unless you have years of purchasing history or you were on a list of Christmas cards from an ad. Even then you were lucky.
On the gray market, however, the prices had soared. By 2021, prices exceeded USD $ 150,000, fueled by cryptographic trails, pandemic boredom and luxury tiktok-siification. It was no longer a question of looking at the Nerds feeding the demand for this contemporary cult; Fashion publishers, sneakerheads, VC Bros and your companion who sold a JPEG for six characters were all desperate to get into action.
Of course, for Patek Philippe, it was a perfect storm: a limited production, a request from top to bottom and a reluctance of a Swiss brand to produce them as Rolex submarines. Then, at the beginning of 2021, the president of Patek Philippe, Thierry Stern, dropped a bomb: the 5711 / 1A had to be interrupted.
The judgment heard around the world
Naturally, the movement amazed the world of the watch. It was the best -selling model of Patek Philippe; The one everyone wanted. However, the president saw the growing popularity of Nautilus as unbearable and wanted to protect the integrity of the brand. While Patek Philippe increased his visibility outside the world of the more island watch, he did not want to be known for a single model.
“We cannot put a single watch on our pyramid. It is not who we are.”
Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe
It was self-service in the modern era. Patek Philippe, a brand built on timelessness and heritage, could not afford to be an internet. But not without publishing a final iteration, 5711 / 1A-014, with an olive Sunburst green dial.
Then, (as we came to understand Patek Philippe: they like surprises), the Swiss luxury watchmaker amazed the world one last time, dropping the 5711 signed by Tiffany in December 2021: A Robin's Egg Blue Limited Edition of 170 pieces. In the same year, an auction for more than 6.5 million USD (~ 10 million dollars AUD).
The fallout
Since its last swans, the 5711 / 1A has become a horrible legend; A watch that has made stainless steel the symbol of unprecedented cooling.
While a turbulent gray market and the feeling of customers will always affect the price of older parts, the cheapest example on Chrono24 is still north of $ 150,000 Aud, when writing, slightly falling from its summit in 2022.
His successor, the White Gold 5811 / 1G, carries the same emblematic silhouette but not the same story. It is heavier, more expensive and deliberately less accessible. By triggering 5711 / 1A, Patek Philippe did not harm his repair. He did the opposite, transforming the surveillance of modern steel sports into a cultural relic … and made this brand exclusive untouchabling elite, once again.
