As Mark began writing the introducing post, I grabbed the mic (literally) and recorded this reel for social, and as you can kind of tell in that feed, I was processing what was happening in real time. Patek Philippe introduced three new Nautilus watches, two of which are downright perfect. OK, perhaps perfect is an overstatement, but they are damn, damn good, and exactly what a guy like me has been dreaming of! First, reference 5810G, which borrows the same broad dimensions as the 5811G (the in-catalog current Nautilus) at 41mm in white gold, but instead of it being 8.2mm thick, it is now just 6.9mm thick! On top of that, we’ve lost a running seconds hand and a date window! Now it’s important to note that this watch actually takes the idea of the original Nautilus (reference 3700) and reduces it beyond its original profile and specifications. The original watch is 7.5mm thick, and indeed, has a date window, where this 5810G does not.
The *dramatically* thin profile is a result of a very interesting choice by Patek Philippe – to use the base caliber 240 in a Nautilus. Let’s be clear – this caliber was not used in the original Nautilus, or any Nautilus since (I am talking about the base caliber, not derivations which have been used in the 3712, 5712, and 5740), and there is, I’m sure, some reason for that. Though it was introduced in 1977, roughly the same time as the 3700. With it, you get an out-of-date by most standards but nonetheless charming caliber that is quintessentially Patek Philippe in a watch that is quintessentially Patek Philippe.
Benjamin Clymer
2026-04-23 15:00:00