Perhaps only second to Rolex, Patek Philippe’s novelties rank among some of the most highly anticipated at each year’s Watches & Wonders. The maison (like Rolex) is one of a select few brands that notoriously keeps its models under strict lock and key until the fair. Despite receiving the press kit in our inboxes that fateful morning, we all know nothing really compares to seeing the watches in the metal.
Once you’ve been attending Watches & Wonders for many years, you know the Patek Philippe choreography well. The booth is one of the sleekest and most well-appointed each year, standing brightly lit and with a commanding presence directly across from the moodier Rolex outpost. As you pass through the threshold, you’re met with a warm and serene vibe that may surprise some for such a prestigious and traditional brand. After mingling with representatives from every major U.S. media outlet, you’re all ushered into the expansive roundtable room at the back of the booth. Here, you must choose your seat carefully in front of the covered tray you hope will reveal the novelty you’re most excited to see.
At the moment of the grand unveiling, gloved experts from the maison lift the coverings off the trays in perfect synchronicity, marking the start of the dance, which moves counterclockwise around each station featuring a different watch family. This year, I choose well, beginning my journey with the 50th anniversary Nautilus models. Here, we have three new executions of the iconic wristwatch alongside a desk clock.
Before we jump into these commemorative models, I feel the need to make a disclaimer. Patek Philippe is notorious for launching a massive assortment of novelties – this rundown is going to be a beast, there’s no way around it. Stick with me, gloss over graphs that don’t speak to you, but you’re going to want to hang in there until the end because I’m saving the best for last.
Alright, first up, there are two 50th anniversary Nautilus editions in classic white gold: the 5810G-001 and the 5810/1G-001. Between these two iterations, the differences are minimal and aesthetic. For the 5810/1G, you get complementary white gold applied baton-style hour markers along with a white gold bracelet featuring a patented Patek Philippe fold-over clasp with a lockable adjustment system. Alternatively, the 5810G offers a subtle twist with baguette diamond hour markers and a navy-blue composite strap featuring a textile pattern and contrasting cream stitching. Both models present highly wearable proportions thanks to the ultra-thin self-winding Caliber 240, which measures just 2.53mm in height. The result is a two-part 41mm case that’s just 6.9mm thick.
Alongside the larger white gold versions is a sweet little platinum version with a perfect 38mm case construction. Here, you get the same Caliber 240 keeping the pared down version equally sleek with a case thickness of 6.9mm. I’ll admit, I’ve never latched on to the Nautilus craze. However, like the Royal Oak, I have immense respect for the Nautilus’ role in shaping (quite literally) design elements of geometry, angles, curves, proportion, and aesthetics, which have undeniably left their mark on watchmaking history. All that said, this slim 38mm variation stole my heart. She looks quite good on my wrist, if I do say so myself. Particularly if the Maison were to execute these proportions in a white gold (or dare I stay steel) with a more interesting dial color than quintessential blue, this would absolutely make my grail list.
Rounding out the 50th anniversary Nautilus lineup is one for the true desk divers: the first-ever Nautilus desk clock. While I can’t say I would choose this over a wristwatch variation, I’m actually quite shocked this marks the brand’s first foray into reinterpreting the design as a clock. Here, you get a slightly more complex dial compared to the time-only wristwatches thanks to the manually wound 31-505 8J PS IRM CI J caliber with 8-day power reserve, indicated at 12 o’clock, as well as instantaneous date by hand, instantaneous day of the week in an aperture, and small seconds at 6 o’clock. Call me sentimental, but perhaps my favorite part of this clock is the circle fitted on the caseback bearing the inscription “50th Anniversary Nautilus 1976-2026 Patek Philippe” – I would have personally liked to have seen some version of this commemoration on the wristwatches as well.
Alright, let’s move on to another model family: the Golden Ellipse. Here, the brief is simple: the next evolution of the classic dress watch. Keeping with the theme of ultra-thin, we have the thinnest watch in the collection clocking in at 5.9mm. We get two executions: a petite 31.1 x 35.6mm version and a slightly larger 34.5 x 39.5mm variation, each with a handsome olive-green color palette that spans from the sunburst dial to the shiny calfskin strap. For me, these are always a gorgeous part of the collection, and if you have the cash to spend on a killer dress watch, why not the Golden Ellipse?
Shifting gears to the Calatrava – typically another staple dress watch of the brand – we have a decidedly sporty yet complicated version for the gents and new colorways for the ladies.
Perhaps I was too quick to gender the Calatravas. The so-called men’s version – the 7047G – offers highly versatile sweet spot sizing at 38mm and features a navy-blue dial with a “carbon” pattern embossed at the center along with luminous applied numerals and hour/minute hands. Solidifying the sporty vibe of this model is contrasting pops of color in the form of an orange varnished small seconds hand, transfer-printed triangle hour-markers, and stitching on the composite material, fabric pattern, navy blue strap. Inside, you’ll find the self-winding R 27 PS caliber equipped with a minute repeater. This watch is objectively good looking, highly wearable, and perfect for daily rotation. However, I’m not sure if the ultra-sporty aesthetic paired with the minute repeater is a fun contrast providing an if-you-know-you-know surprise under the hood or just a strange combination of dress watch roots meets sport watch coloring meets romantic complication.
For the ladies (or once again, really anyone), we have the 7200 series with a neutral color palette combining an off-white dial encased in warm rose gold with a taupe strap from 2013 being discontinued in favor of a more monochromatic sand beige version in white gold alongside a brighter ice blue iteration. These new 7200 series measure a modest 34.6mm offering a nice vintage feel. These are pretty and wear well, no notes.
Alright, let’s briefly cover the latest Cubitus. Love it or hate it, the model is here to stay, so let’s just embrace it and get down to the particulars of the newest version. Here, we have a couple firsts for the collection: the first skeletonized version and the first to house a grand complication, a perpetual calendar to be exact. In my humble opinion, the square movement is the coolest thing to happen to the Cubitus, so why not put it on display.
Speaking of perpetual calendars, we have quite a few of them in Patek Philippe’s new novelties: a split seconds chronograph perpetual calendar, a standard chronograph perpetual calendar, an in-line perpetual calendar, and a minute repeater perpetual calendar haute joaillerie. Here, we work our way from sportiest to dressiest.
The split seconds chronograph perpetual calendar is really nice in the metal, offering a 40mm white gold case with a classic blue and red color palette throughout. Powering the model, we have the manually wound CHR 29-535 PS Q caliber featuring seven patented innovations, six for the chronograph functions and one for the split-seconds mechanism. This laid-back edition replaces the green model released in 2022.
Next up, we have the chronograph perpetual calendar in three new colorways: charcoal, blue, and red. While all of these are fairly standard hues, the execution is really stunning, particularly with the gradient effect radiating from the center point out to the tachymeter scale. Giving these sports watches a bit of a refined edge, this trio is housed in 41mm platinum cases. Under the hood of each of the models is the foundational movement on which the split-seconds variation was built: the CH 29-535 PS Q caliber introduced in 2011.
Moving on to the definitively more elevated perpetual calendars, let’s first look at the in-line perpetual calendar. The case and dial firmly offer a dressier appeal with a platinum construction, a silver gradient dial, and a charming moonphase at 6 o’clock. In contrast, you get oversized 41.3mm proportions and a composite material, fabric pattern, charcoal gray strap with contrast stitching for just a touch of sporty flare. Beating at the heart, you have the ultra-thin self-winding 31-260 PS QL caliber with fully in-line perpetual calendar displays (day, date, month) driven by three patents covering the innovations embedded in the mechanism.
Last on our tour of perpetual calendars, the boldest and most chic of them all: the minute repeater perpetual calendar haute joaillerie. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is definitively a ladies’ model. Yes, this watch features a mother-of-pearl dial and a combination of baguette diamond hour markers and baguette Paraíba tourmaline minute markers. Yes, the gem setting continues onto the bezel, flange, caseband, slide piece, and clasp for a total of 171 baguette-cut diamonds (9.85 carats) and 84 baguette-cut Paraíba tourmalines (2.7 carats). However, we also have a hefty 42mm case and two grand complications. Once again, I say this watch is for anyone: a woman who likes an oversized design or a man bold enough to rock some bling.
We near the finish line with several pieces I’m going to lovingly refer to as a random assortment of new additions in no particular order. Let’s start with a new execution of the annual calendar moonphase (the 4946 series), which we previously saw in brown in 2025 and now get in Patek denim with a blue-grey dial completing the monochromatic look. Switching gears, we have an extremely elegant, classic, and just downright sexy date with sweep seconds in the 5227 series. This execution continues the neutral color scheme we’ve seen in the line for over a decade offering a rose-gilt opaline dial, a white gold case, and a chocolate brown alligator leather strap. This iteration joins the quintessential yellow gold version with a beige dial from 2013, while the maison discontinues the rose gold and black dial variants.
These next two were really compelling in the metal: the world time and the 24-hour alarm. Starting with the former, we have a lovely, compact 36mm world time display indicating all 24 time zones. I wouldn’t say red is my color, but wow, this particular tone that the brand deems “carmine red” is one of the best shades I’ve ever seen thanks to stronger blue undertones giving it simply exceptional richness. This non-gem set edition joins the ice blue from 2019, while the green version from 2022 has been discontinued. Pivoting to the 24-hour alarm, we have another truly mesmerizing timepiece. This model is the only water-resistant chiming watch in the Maison’s catalog. From a distance, it strikes a sporty appearance with a 41mm build and strap with contrast stitching. However, move in closer and you’ll see the textured lacquered dial with black-gradient rim that plays beautifully with the light in both colorways, either blue or green. These touches paired with the elegant 24-hour alarm equipped with a hammer striking on a classic gong thanks to four patents makes this a uniquely balanced model.
Rounding out our so-called random assortment before moving on to the sleeper hit of the whole lot, there’s a wild hours and minutes on demand automaton. Here, we have a complication inspired by the pocket watch “The Crow and the Fox” (Reference 784), conceived by Louis Cottier in 1958 and preserved in the Patek Philippe Museum. The motif is executed in a rose gold dial with opaline finish and matara brown color, featuring applied “fox” and “crow” in gold highlighted with contrasting colors and hand-engraved foliage decorations in gold. For this piece, we got to see a full video produced by the Maison on all its particulars, and I have to say, my favorite moment was the explanation of the cheese tipped minute hand – words I never thought would be uttered in the watch industry, particularly not by Patek Philippe.
Alright, we made it – the final and perhaps most exciting novelty beyond the cult classic Nautilus models. Making its monumental debut we have the Celestial Sunrise and Sunset, marking the first grand complication wristwatch displaying the sunrise and sunset within the Maison’s catalog.
The Reference 6105G-001 presents a new interpretation of the Celestial watch Reference 6102. Taking its lead from the previous versions, we get a glimpse of the night sky from Geneva or any other city on the same latitude in the northern hemisphere with a mobile chart reproducing in real time the apparent movement of the stars, the angular movement of the moon, and the phases of the moon. Completing this display is the date indicated by a hand on the periphery of the dial as well as the display of the times of sunrise and sunset in Geneva, an indication that changes constantly.
All this is possible thanks to the new caliber 240 C LU CL LCSO, which retains the same diameter as the caliber of the previous Celestial (38mm) with a slight increase in height (1.12mm) to accommodate the additional 121 parts. While the model itself is a bold 47mm, it doesn’t come off as intimidating as an oversized tool watch can tend to be. The proportions are merely there to serve as the container for the complex movement, but Patek Philippe keeps the design thoughtful and delicate, giving it the same soft presence one might feel when actually gazing at the night sky. Patek Philippe
Cait Bazemore
2026-04-23 16:00:00