End of the line for Patek Philippe’s Nautilus reference 5726

Inspired by the shape of a porthole found on transatlantic liners, Patek Philippe’s hugely popular Nautilus reference 5726, has been discontinued.

Over the years, the Nautilus collection has boomed with many variations for men and women, in stainless steel and in precious metals.

Reference 5726 had its debut at Baselworld 2010. Powered by calibre 324 S QA LU 24H, this model was also the first Patek Philippe watch in stainless steel with an annual calendar complication.

Its satin brushed surfaces, awesome legibility and polished hour makers and hands made it an instant favourite with watch collectors. The 5726 was first introduced with a leather strap and a black dial but steel bracelet options and a white dial soon became available, both looking rather suave with a low profile clasp.

This model featured a hybrid complication of a simple date window and perpetual calendar – the first time Patek offered this complication in a steel case. The annual calendar doesn’t consider the duration of the months and automatically adjusts to 30 or 31 days in the month. But it’ was unable to do the sums for leap years, at which point you required an adjustment from February 28 to March 1.

History of the Nautilus 5726

The model is often linked to Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, whose creation in 1972 defined luxury, stainless steel wristwatches.

Following that success, Patek Philippe decided that it was time to refresh the brand’s image while still keeping up with tradition to develop a high quality sports watch.

And so, designer of the Royal Oak, Gerald Genta, was called upon to design this exclusive new offering.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

The first Nautilus reference in 1976 name came from the submarine in the classic novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.

Because the portholes on Captain Nemo’s submarine were often depicted as being oval, the watch had visual similarities to them. The sides attached the bezel to the case to reveal just one opening. Like a porthole, the sides served to attach the bezel to the case so there was only one opening at the front for access to movement and dial.

The patented case was formed by a solid middle case and distinctive octagonal bezel secured to it by four screws, ensuring water-resistance.

All eight sides of the bezel were subtly curved to trace a perfect arc of a circle, a subtle detail with a huge impact from a designer’s viewpoint.

The 5726’s black dial, characterised by distinctive horizontal embossed bars, had applied luminous white gold baton hour markers and luminous hands.

Here to help

Here at Luxe Watches, we specialise in selling new and pre-worn timepieces and have a large selection in stock at our Essex boutique. We also stock the reference 5711 which is not dissimilar to the Nautilus 5726.

If you need help with your next purchase, our experts can share our top finance deals and part-exchange offers to help you afford your dream timepiece. Perhaps you just need help with which reference to choose. Our sales team is happy to help, so go ahead – talk to us today!