For the majority of the watch aficionados, Patek Philippe Nautilus is one of the most recognized models among the legendary watch guru Gerald Genta’s designs. For me, it solely represents the brand Patek Philippe.
Actually it’s not that hard to get my point here as I am a great admirer of luxury sport watches and I always prefer them over classic dress ones. The dress watches barely enter my shopping list and when they do they do that from the bottom line due to their small sizes, lesser WR rates and the leather straps they have which show signs of wear eventually. However, those dress watches I do not want to have, account for almost the entire Patek Philippe product line.
Just think about it.. What do we have in sake of a sport watch when we take out the Nautilus ( and the Aquanaut I never liked ) out of the brand’s catalogue..? Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524.. Do I really have to say something here..? I guess I do not..
Right after the short explanation of the thesis “ In Burak’s world Patek Philippe = Nautilus “ let’s get to the review, shall we..?
There’s something I really would like to know about Gerald Genta; WHY integrated bracelet, non-round, stainless steel sport watches..?
Considering the groovy aura of the 70s, it’s obvious that there were a number of similar designs. However, Genta’s designs differ at a certain point; They stay up to date..
The funky TV Screen design of SEIKO has been copied by brands like IWC, Omega, Tissot and Universal Geneve. Many models have been produced out of those brands during 70s but when I get back to present, I do not see any TV Screen watches except some Diesel models.
How can a watch still stay up to date almost half a century after than it’s birth date..? Frankly speaking, it’s quite hard to answer those questions.
My reply to the ones who will give me the ROLEX Submariner example will be me telling the fact that Submariner has been a very stereotype design when compared to Nautilus. If one comes to me saying “ Hey, Porsche 911 remains un-changed as well.. “ I’d gladly ask her/him to give a look at the first Nautilus and up to date 5711, than give closer look to the first and the last Porsche 911 and after that I’ll ask her/him to tell me which current design has the most resemblance with it’s very first version.
In the meantime, IWC Ingeneiur and AP RO are the other models with great faith to the original versions however, not as much as PP Nautilus.
I had the chance for trying different versions of Nautilus. For obvious reasons, same goes for nowadays as well. However, if we are talking about actually owning a Nautilus and using it, I am afraid that chance did not meet me.. Yet. The greatest reason for that is me coming up with a better ( for me ) alternative -irrespectively of the version- at that price range.
If I am going to get myself a Nautilus in the future, it’ll be definitely the 5980 that we published a brief review of here on Horobox. By the way, my choice used to be the 5712 due to it’s no date window lay out of the dial. However, I am quite happy with the white over black color date disk of the 5980.
5711 is placed in the entry level section of the Nautilus ( not to mention the Aquanaut ). With the addition of 18K rose gold, that entry part is gone for good.
By the way, I think it’s time for me to talk about “ The Curse of the Gold Nautilus “ . A group of watch enthusiasts, namely “ Purists ”, defend the idea of the necessity for Nautilus ( and some other legendary watches ) being made of stainless steel but not gold stating that the use of gold will hurt the horological values and turn the time piece in to a jewelery material making it valueless to the eyes of the so called Purist collector.
Personally, I love gold in watches. Period.
I can never under estimate a ROLEX Daytona 116528 Paul Newman or a Patek Philippe Nautilus just because of they are made of gold.
5711/R has a 40mm diameter case. Thanks to it’s lug and strap connection design, the case looks a tad smaller that it really is however, the watch is not a small one. The details on the case are spectacular. As expected from PP, all the details on the case is handcrafted immaculately. In fact, I can say that this watch would not be that beautiful if it was not crafted at PP standards.
I would like to note that, though I always prefer PP Nautilus, I think the leather strap connection design is not as good as AP RO’s when compared side to side.
The 18K rose gold winding crown looks secure within the crown guard piece however, it’s a bit uncomfortable when operating.
There is another piece at the left side of the case which looks like the symmetrical twin of the crown guard. As an aesthetic function, this piece is a nice detail for the complete look of the watch.
A Nautilus classic, the thick and satin brushed bezel is prone to scratches more than the stainless steel versions due to the soft nature of gold.
The watch offers WR120M rating which feels secure against daily use.
5711/R sports double sapphire crystals on the back and the front. The transparent case back allows the user to view the piece of art PP caliber.
The most striking part of this rose gold version of Nautilus 5711 is absolutely the dial. The dial features a degraded brown color which matches the rose gold tone perfectly. Reminding me the funky 70s era which the first Nautilus created in, the dial looks stunning.
Since my personal opinion about the date window dilemma remains the same, I am very very mad at PP for still using Xerox paper white with typewriter spec black for the date disk instead of an absolutely better blending ( in our case light color over dark color ) date disk design. Are you happy now Purists..?
Inside the Patek Philippe Nautilus beats the in-house caliber 324 S C automatic mechanical movement that is made of 213 parts and just 3.3mm thick. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a maximum of 45 hours of power reserve. While still entry level, the movement has a very high level of finishing along the lines of what you should expect from a Patek Philippe.
The watch comes on a perfectly matching, brown colored, crocodile strap. Having passed the tests in high quality feel, thickness, matching color and wearing comfort titles with flying colors, the strap makes me think that there is no need for an alternative.
18K rose gold folding clasp is also a PP classic as well. Combining elegance with quality and comfort, the clasp works flawlessly.
It is not possible for me to say “ I didn’t like it.. “ . In fact, I loved it. Beside the date disk gimmick, I could not find anything to talk against it. However, it’s still on the pricey side for me. With a budget like that, I’d go for a gold watch with a gold bracelet I guess.
Above all, PP Nautilus is a special watch and for me 5711 R is one of the best versions among the rest of the past and current collections. Design wise speaking, it sits on the toppest of all other gold/leather combined watches for me making it one of the best alternatives among it’s equivalents.
