With apologies to the Calatrava, the Nautilus ranks as Patek Philippe‘s most recognizable and iconic watch.
But the Nautilus was perhaps too iconic and became a victim of its own success. From the 2010s through the Covid-19 pandemic, the Reference 5711 — the modern evolution of the original stainless steel time-and-date Nautilus — became arguably the hottest watch in the world, with a decade-long waitlist and astronomical secondhand prices climbing to multiples of the watch’s already lofty SRP.
Patek CEO Thierry Stern made the decision to discontinue the 5711 in 2021, stating that he didn’t want Patek to become known for a single model. Stern gave the blue-dialed 5711 a farewell tour of sorts that same year, releasing an olive green variant and closing out the year with a rare Tiffany Blue version.
More than four years later, Patek has moved on. In 2024, the brand launched the Cubitus, a new sports watch line that draws heavily — some say too heavily — from the Nautilus.
Patek still has a catalog full of Nautilus models — 27, as of this writing — but the only steel models you’ll find are two annual calendars, a flyback chronograph and a quartet of ladies models. With no successor to the 5711, the Nautilus has almost become an afterthought in Patek’s sprawling lineup, which perhaps was Stern’s goal all along.
But that could change this year. Because if there were ever a time for Patek to bring back a non-complicated Nautilus in steel, it’s 2026. Here’s why.
