Nautilus

1976 – 2026 Nautilus

50th anniversary of an icon of sporty elegance

Patek Philippe is celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of its flagship collections, the Nautilus. On the occasion of Watches and Wonders 2026, the Manufacture is reinterpreting its icon’s sporty elegance by celebrating the very essence of its design, its signature features and the slenderness of its case. It is bringing out four new versions, each one a limited edition.

Two large-size (Jumbo) 41 millimeter models lead the way, in white gold on a metal bracelet for Reference 5810/1G-001, and on a composite strap for Reference 5810G-001. Reference 5610/1P-001 offers the cool seduction of a 38-millimeter case in platinum on a metal bracelet. These three anniversary models confine their displays to the hours and minutes, respecting the purity of the design principles of the original Nautilus case, to which they add the distinction of a remarkably slender, elegant profile, enabled by the presence, at the heart of each one, of the ultra-thin self-winding caliber 240. This historic caliber was first presented in 1977, just a year after the launch of the Nautilus collection in 1976.

Finally, in a nod to the disruptive design of this enfant terrible of the 1970s, a surprising and spectacular Nautilus desk watch, equipped with the 8-Day caliber, joins the new models as Reference 958G-001 in white gold.

Launched in 1976, the Nautilus signaled in many respects a break with the classic codes of luxury watchmaking beginning with the choice of steel, a metal unheard of for a watch in this category; and the atypical style of its case, neither round, nor rectangular, presenting an octagonal bezel with softened corners. Indeed, this was not a design created merely for the originality of its shape, but a form dictated by its function as a water-resistant watch case, inspired by the principle of a ship’s porthole. So there is technical thinking behind each of its details. The case is a two-part construction, in which the part comprising the case back and middle is drilled in only one place, for the winding-stem; the bezel is attached and pressed down onto the two case hinges by four clamping screws - a construction reminiscent of the portholes of the old transatlantic liners, with their hinge-and-bolt locking system, hermetically clamping the joints onto the steel framework.

Beautiful finishes alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces play up the originality of the design, while its robust construction combines with the water-resistance of its case –a technical feat at the time for such for a slender, elegant watch, and nothing short of an exploit for a sports watch produced as a series. Its dial, adorned with horizontal relief embossing underlines the watch’s strong character and increases its sporty allure. With its bracelet, perfectly integrated into the case, tapering harmoniously towards the comfortable, robust clasp, the Nautilus quickly won recognition as the perfect incarnation of sporty elegance.

Over the years, it has appeared in different versions and endowed with a range of complications, while always remaining faithful to its instantly recognizable design.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this cult watch and mark the opening of Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026), Patek Philippe is presenting 4 new Nautilus models produced as limited editions. Four variations on a unique design that has lost nothing of its force and originality.

Nautilus Reference 5610/1P-001, Hours, Minutes, 38-millimeter diameter platinum case

Reference 5610/1P-001 adopts the purist approach of References 5810/1G-001 and 5810G-001, displaying only the hours and minutes. Its elegant understatement, resulting in outstanding legibility, continues through to the platinum case, 38 millimeters in diameter (10 – 4 o’clock), with a particularly slender profile of 6.90 millimeters. The emblematic architecture of the Nautilus is discovered anew with the return of the Medium size, recalling that of Reference 3800/1, the first version of the Nautilus offered in a medium size, launched in the 1980s. A new edition of that version appeared in 2006 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the collection, with Reference 5800/1A. The subtle play of polished and satin-brushed finishes on the bezel, the case and the bracelet brings out its distinctive lines. Like all the Patek Philippe models in platinum, this timepiece is adorned with a diamond, here set into the hinge at nine o’clock for the first time.

On the blue sunburst dial with horizontal relief embossing, the applied hour markers and the rounded baton-type hands, all in white gold with a white luminescent coating, ensure remarkable legibility by day Continued 3 and by night. Within the case beats the ultra-thin self-winding caliber 240 movement with its lavishly hand-finished parts, including the mini-rotor in 22K gold bearing the engraved inscription “50 1976 – 2026”.

The platinum bracelet, made even more sumptuous – as are the case and bezel – by its alternating satin-brushed and polished finishes, is secured by a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp with a lockable adjustment system. Reference 5610/1P-001 proposes a limited edition of 2,000 pieces.