The Patek Philippe Nautilus is one of the most recognisable designs in the world. The legendary porthole shaped watch with integrated bracelet designed by Gerald Genta made its debut in 1976. That makes 2026 the collection’s 50th anniversary and Patek Philippe are celebrating in style with the launch of the new ref. 5810/1G-001 white gold ultra-thin and 5610/1P-001 platinum ultra-thin.
At first glance, these are very purist interpretations of the Nautilus design with the classic porthole shape bezel, wide crown guards that are mirrored. Starting with the cases, the ref. 5610/1P-001 measures 38mm in platinum while the ref. 5810/1G-001 in white gold is a bit larger at 41mm.
However, the flagship specification is that both versions have an ultra-thin thickness of just 6.9mm, giving them an extremely slim profile on the wrist. By comparison, the 41mm diameter ref. 5811/1G-001, which bears the most visual similarity to the anniversary Nautilus models, is 8.2mm. That’s a reduction in thickness of 1.3mm, which sounds small on paper but makes a big difference in the metal.
For the dials, they’re essentially dateless and monocolour versions of the aforementioned ref. 5811 display – removing the date window from 3 o’clock and going without a fumé gradient to create a clean blue display with sunray brushed finishing. I say 5811 rather than the more famous 5711 because of the way the Patek logo interrupts the horizontal engraving rather than being squashed into the lines. Overall, the collection feels downright minimalist with its full set of baton indices and bathtub centre hands.
Turning either of the watches over reveals an exhibition caseback through which you can see the calibre 240 automatic with commemorative anniversary micro-rotor in gold. It has a 48-hour power reserve and operates at a 3 Hz frequency, which is a little lower than the modern 4 Hz standard but is often used anyway because it’s believed to be one of the most beautiful balance wheel beat rates to look at. Visuals are clearly important with the combination of Côtes de Genève, perlage and anglage on display.
So far we’ve talked largely about how the 5610/1P-001 and 5810/1G-001 are the same, but what about the differences. Obviously the size is a major factor here as when it comes to integrated bracelet watches, the difference between 41mm and 38mm is very pronounced. I wouldn’t call the 38mm small in isolation but it feels significantly more svelte next to its white gold cousin. It’s also only when they are next to each other that you can appreciate the subtle differences in precious metal, the platinum has a slightly higher lustre, making it a bit brighter. But again, if they weren’t next to each other, you’d be hard pressed to tell which is which, hence the use of a diamond at 9 o’clock on the platinum case to mark it as the more expensive material.
The difference in material also leads to a significant difference in price and since we’re talking Nautili, they’re not exactly affordable to begin with. The 5810/1G-001 is £75,690 while the 5610/1P-001 is £90,830. Although that does mean you could buy two of the platinum editions for the same cost as the 50th Anniversary desk clock / pocket watch that Patek Philippe are also producing, the 958G-001 8-day calendar at £206,880.
Price and Specs:
More details at Patek.
