Patek Philippe unveils a white gold successor to the legendary Nautilus 5711

The wait is finally over. There is now a successor to Patek Philippe’s highly coveted Ref 5711 Nautilus, after the watchmaker announced that it was discontinuing the model in 2021.

The Ref 5711, a steel watch with a blue dial, is one of the world’s most coveted watches and is notoriously difficult to acquire. It had a rumoured 10-year wait list at boutiques and has commanded sky-high prices on the secondary market. 

However, before the 5711 was truly retired, the watchmaker did release an olive green and Tiffany blue version. But watch enthusiasts have been waiting with eager anticipation for the real heir to the Nautilus throne. Even at Watches & Wonders 2022, attendees waited with bated breath for the 5711 replacement. Alas, it did not materialise.

Now, Patek has unveiled the Ref 5811/1G-001, which, at first glance, looks almost identical to the 5711, with some key differences. For one, the new watch comes in white gold with a case that measures 41mm, a millimetre wider than the 5711 and features a sunburst blue dial with black-gradient rim. There are also improvements to the bracelet, including a fold-over clasp and new lockable adjustment system, allowing the wearer to add up to 4mm.   

The 5811 was one of eight new references unveiled by Patek. Other new releases include the Ref 5373P-001, a new split-seconds monopusher chronograph with perpetual calendar for left-handers.

Two rose-gold Nautilus watches also made their debut. The Ref 7118/1300R-001 features a bezel set with baguette-cut spessartites arranged in a colour gradient ranging from champagne to cognac tones. The Ref 5712/1R-001 features small seconds, date, moon phase and power-reserve indicator and sports a sunburst brown dial with black-gradient rim.

The Aquanaut Luce women’s collection gets a chronograph for the first time. The Ref 7968-300R-001 features an eye-popping bezel with an array of baguette-cut diamonds and sapphires in two rows. The engraved mother-of-pearl dial features the entire spectrum of coloured sapphires on its 12 applied hour markers in rose gold. The Aquanaut Luce “Rainbow” Chronograph is also Patek’s first self-winding ladies’ chronograph.

Rounding up Patek’s October line-up are three new interpretations of chronographs with complementary functions. These include the new Ref 5204G-001 split-seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar, in a white-gold case with olive-green sunburst dial.

The new self-winding Ref 5935A-001 World Time flyback chronograph is the very first stainless steel version of a cult model, its dial reworked for a rose gilt hue. The Ref 5990/1A-011 is endowed with a new blue dial with radiant sunburst finish and a subtle black gradation to the periphery.