“The 5711 Nautilus is going out of production in 2021”…. Is this really true? Are they really going to discontinue the most coveted Nautilus of them all? The watch which you can only dream of, and never actually have?

Like ever year, around January-February time, speculation always begins to stir up in the watch world, especially when these rumours concern big brands taking things out of production. In 2019, the rumours of the white-dialled “Piano dial” Nautilus (ref. 5711/1A-011) being discontinued proved true, and this year, the rumour mill has the original blue dial 5711/1A-010 in its crosshairs.

Are you serious? Is the blue Nautilus being discontinued?

I recently got a text from Claudio, our Social Media Manager, notifying me of this rumour, saying that he got it from Instagram user @patekaholic and another unnamed source. At first, I completely rebutted it: after all – as I mentioned before – this particular Nautilus is a real obsession for some collectors, just like the 5712.

Not my obsession by any means, however. In fact, when I first got into the watch world, I outright disliked the Nautilus! At the time, the waiting list for it wasn’t even that long, either – some of my friends (somehow) even managed to get if for a small discount.

Quite frankly, it’s scary to see how rapidly the market has grown these past few years.

As time went by, however, I came to recognise and appreciate the genius of Gerald Genta’s designs, and the first time I had a Nautilus on my wrist I was totally overcome by just how comfortable the bracelet wrapped around the wrist, and how well the case sits on it, too.

So, after Claudio’s message and my initial denial, I reflected on it for a bit, and I thought that taking the blue-dialled 5711 out of production is, in fact, plausible. For Patek Philippe, the Nautilus collection was rather revolutionary: to have a time-only watch with a bracelet which cost you an arm and a leg even back in 1976? In steel no less? It made sense that it would take a bit of time to gain traction in the market.

All the problems caused by the Nautilus

Between 2015 and 2021, however, this “revolution” proved problematic for Patek: they were nowhere near able to meet the demand for the Nautilus and, naturally, had no intention of increasing production. It’s widely believed that Patek Philippe manufactures a grand total of 60,000 pieces per year, across 8 collections, just for wristwatches. Considering just how hot the Nautilus is, that’s incredibly exclusive.

But putting Patek Philippe’s business model aside, there’s one other huge problem when it comes to the Nautilus: you.

“What, me?” No, not you personally, you, me, us… the market itself. We’ve hyped it up way too much, and as a consequence, we’ve ignored some truly spectacular pieces: from complicated and super complicated pieces, true works of art… who knows how many of them have been, and still are sitting in the boutiques, neglected and unsold? For all we know, they could be the Nautiluses of tomorrow! We can do better.

Could we have a new reference 6711?

But, going back to the main story, in my personal opinion, I wouldn’t even mind if the blue 5711 Nautilus were discontinued in 2021. In fact, I would welcome it!

However, if it were to be discontinued, don’t think for a second that that would be it: it will certainly be replaced by a new model. Could it be the birth of a new reference 6711? A new movement, changes in design et al?

I had a read through the comments of the source, and there were quite a few calling for the 5711 to be equipped with the clasp mechanism of the white gold 5740 Perpetual Calendar, but I think it’s very unlikely that Patek make such a change to a steel time-only piece.

So, in the end, is this just a smart tactic to further inflate the aftermarket value of the Nautilus? No, of course not! But then again, the answer may very well be yes! The blue 5711 could indeed be discontinued… after all, as I mentioned right at the beginning, the rumours of the white dial going out of production turned out to be true.

Either way, if you’re willing to spend €60-70,000 for a steel-clad time-only, when for that same amount you could get your hands on far more exhilarating timepieces… you’re a… well, I mean, you get the point.

What do you think? Are the rumours true? Sound off in the comments!

-Translated by Patrick R.