Nautilus: Fab at 40!

Patek Philippe releases an anniversary watch to mark four decades of its iconic Nautilus. We give you 10 good reasons why this limited edition piece should be part of your collection

1 go for gold The nautilus Chronograph Ref. 5976/1G 40th Anniversary Limited Edition has an automatic movement with a 21-karat gold rotor

2 Worthy Successor Its predecessor, the Ref. 5980, was the first chronograph in the nautilus line. It was released in 2006 to mark the model’s 30th anniversary

3 Bigger and Better The case is 30mm in diameter—3.6mm wider than the Ref. 5980. It’s also more robust and easier to read with a bigger date window, hour and minute counters

4 out of the Box It comes in a box made from brown cork—an exact replica of the one the first nautilus came in when it was released in 1976

5 Power Play Its impressive power reserve of up to 55 hours, or more than two days, is guaranteed

6 elite club The Ref. 5976/1G is crafted entirely in white gold and Patek Philippe will produce just 1,300 of them

7 the hours Hours are represented by 0.30 carats of flawless Top Wesselton baguette and princesscut diamonds

8 all-in-one It’s packed with features, including a flyback function, instantaneous date change with a switching cycle of one-tenth of a second, and the watchmaker’s Gyromax balance wheel

9 crystal clear It has a sapphire crystal case back revealing the movement’s elaborate details such as polished bores and gold-filled engravings with blued screws and ruby-red jewel bearings 10 Perfect Finish Vertical satin finishing on the bezel, high polishing on chamfers and alternating matte/ mirror polishing on the bracelet links