Will a Titanium Nautilus Ref. 6711 Replace Patek Philippe's Steel 5711?
It was incredibly surprising when Patek Philippe announced they were discontinuing their blue dial steel Nautilus Ref. 5711. When discontinuing perhaps the most sought after watch in the world, Patek CEO Thierry told the New York Times that “We cannot put a single watch on top of our pyramid”, stating that the steel 5711 “will have a victory lap. We will have a surprise final series of the Ref. 5711. And it is not what was left in the pipeline. How many there will be, I cannot give this information. It won’t be enough for everyone who is waiting for one.”
We all know now that the “victory lap” steel Nautilus that was not in the pipeline was the green dial 5711. While the discontinued blue dial 5711s are selling for above $100,000 USD, the green dial variations are only being produced for a year and in extremely limited quantities. For that reason, these steel Nautiluses are selling for between $300,000 and $400,000 USD on the secondary market (the retail price is around $34,000 USD).
So is that it for the steel Nautilus (or at least the variation without any complications)? It seems like poor business to remove the most iconic Patek Philippe from production. However, if you talk to people “in the business”, the rumors are swirling that a new Nautilus will take up the mantle as Patek Philippe’s “entry-level” Nautilus. Rumor has it that Patek Philippe will soon release a Nautilus Ref. 6711 with sunburst blue dial and titanium case as well as platinum variation with sunburst grey dial.
How likely is this rumor to be true? I can’t say. But serious industry people believe it to be true so that adds a great deal of legitimacy in my views (as well as supposed leaks in internet watch forums). If you go down the rabbit hole of how the 6711 would differ from the 5711, apparently it will house a 324 S movement with sweeping second hand but no date, will be 41mm as opposed to 40mm, and have micro-adjustments on the bracelet. I would probably prefer a date, am somewhat ambivalent about a 41mm vs. 40mm case size, and think micro-adjustments on the bracelet are a nice upgrade.
Beyond that, if you believe the 6711 is real, you have to believe that Patek Philippe is willing to anchor their signature Nautilus line with a titanium watch (a material that they do not have a ton of experience working with). It would be a bold move for a brand such as Patek Philippe, but perhaps such a move would help push the other traditional Swiss brands to take more chances (I’m looking at you Rolex). Indeed, even Rolex has been flirting with titanium watches, creating a titanium Yacht-Master II prototype for Olympic Sailor Ben Ainslie. I have to admit, It would be pretty exciting if both Rolex and Patek Philippe launched their first mass production titanium watches around the same time.
The way I look at it is like this: we are either getting a titanium Nautilus in the very near future or Patek Philippe will let let the 5711 die out without a replacement for 5 or so years. This will cause even more hype surrounding the the Nautilus to build and reach a boiling point when they relaunch a new steel piece down the road. The other effect this will have is building even more hype around the Aquanaut as it will be the only steel “sport” piece available without complications.
I guess this means that I hope the rumors are true. While I personally would prefer a steel Nautilus over the titanium variation, I would be perfectly happy with either. I presume that most Patek collectors would feel the same and be happy getting off that 5711 “waitlist” to purchase a titanium 6711.
Let me know your thoughts on the rumors below.
