By Jovan Krstevski
The Patek Philippe Nautilus 40th Anniversary 5711/1P commemorates the iconic watch’s 40th anniversary. As if this is not obvious enough, well the name is too easy to understand for this release but mind you, there is more to it particularly its noticeable upsize. What changed then in regards to size, well just some 44.05 mm against the 42 mm Nautilus released back in 1976 with the 3700/1A. At that time it was already popular with a “Jumbo” nickname. This commemorative release is very interesting in a sense that there will only be 700 pieces of this watch so horology collectors be in the know.
Examining the platinum case roughly, it is very clear that it’s taken its form from the original design which is what we are looking for a commemorative piece. One observation though, it doesn’t seem too large mainly because the bigger size only applies to the distance between the diameter taken between the 9 and 3 o’clock (including the crown) which is at 44.05 mm.
The bezel also contains a very special mark at the 6 o’clock which is a small Wesselton (meaning rated very high on the purity/clarity scale) diamond. To the trained eye, this means that the watch is made from expensive precious metals usually used on luxury Swiss watches. Wow, there’s no denying that after all this is a commemorative release. Everything is smooth from lug to lug and personally, the watch does look big even if you take into account what I mentioned above. Another remaining element is the water resistance rating that remains at 120 meters that goes unchanged for 40 years. I’m not complaining though since, come’n do you really get that deep as if reminiscing the adventures from the movie “Nautilus?”
Now going to the iconic blue dial which is a PVD blue-treated 18k yellow gold, all I can say is amazing. Nautilus has always looked good in blue, so yeah nice job PP. Another thing I like is the baton-style hour and minute hands in 18k white gold plus the seconds hand in rhodium plated brass that looks especially nice including the large baguette-cut hour indices that make the dial more catchy.
What powers the Patek Philippe Nautilus 40th Anniversary 5711/1P is the Patek Philippe automatic 324 SC that also powers other PP watches. It features time with central seconds and the date which on this watch is at the 3 o’clock. Other goodies include the Gyromax balance wheel, Spiromax hairspring and the awesome Patek Philippe Seal. Everything is almost excellent if not for the 35 to 45 hours of power reserve although PP can be forgiven considering that the Patek Philippe automatic 324 SC is a mere 3.3 millimeters thick including the 21 karat gold rotor.
Finally the bracelet, I like it because it remains the same since the first Nautilus released in 1976. Its Gerald Genta design is original plus it comes in expensive platinum too including brushed links and polished center links. Each of the 700 pieces is priced at $113,400 USD as of this writing. For more info, please visit patek.com
