OK. This is absolutely, positively a grail watch. No doubt.
As I write this in March 2021, we are just about a month past Patek Philipe announcing that the “real” Nautilus 5711 is being discontinued. Now it appears you will still be able to get it in gold, but the blue-face stainless steel Nautilus, with it’s 10-year waitlist for a new one and in some cases 50-100% markup on the secondary market is no more.
So, how does that make me feel about my 5726? I don’t know. I’ve had my 5726 for almost two years and I get more comments on it than just about any other watch I wear (except maybe for a Ressence).
It has the amazing Nautilus dial, albeit more grey than blue. It has that timeless Gerald Genta design that is similar to his design of the AP Royal Oak. And it has the Annual Calendar, 24-hour and moon phase complications presented in a way that is very symmetrical and (in my opinion) unobtrusive.
And for a watch with so much going on, it is extremely thin and easy to wear. In fact, this might be one of the most comfortable watches in my collection. When I got it (second-hand), it came with the “tropical” strap as Patek likes to call it with a very cool deployant clasp. I immediately wrote to Patek and purchased the black alligator strap for it and, when it arrived, promptly replaced it. Even after wearing it for a week or so and letting the leather strap loosen, I didn’t find it nearly as comfortable. So I went back to the tropical – both for the comfort as well as the color. I think the 5726 looks better on the grey rubber than the black leather. For me, it works better with the dial and makes the overall appearance a little sportier. You might not agree – and I want to hear from you in the comments.
This watch is not a daily wearer for me. I don’t know – it just makes me nervous. So when I do wear it, I need to devote a good 5 minutes to set it, using the four pushers around the case. That means when I do wear it, I wear it for several days straight, and I find it keeps time as well as any quartz watch in the collection.
It will be interesting to see if the 5711 discontinuation has any impact on the value of the other Nautilus watches. Not that I am considering selling or trading this one, mind you. But curious – maybe it already has? Need to go check out Chrono24…
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