Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/1A Chronograph: The Ultimate Sporting Patek Nautilus

The Big Picture: Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980

It’s no secret that Patek Philippe is watchmaking royalty among Swiss luxury houses. However, despite  its prominence in a market driven by sports watches, Patek builds few sports models — and the Nautilus 5980/1A is an exception. Simply put, it’s the ultimate sports watch from the ultimate watchmaker, and a historic first for the brand. Learn more about this impressive and robust model available at The 1916 Company.

A Nod to the Nautilus

The Patek Philippe Nautilus name is among the most evocative in high horology. Among connoisseurs, auction observers, and watchmakers themselves, the Patek marquee commands reverence while conjuring images of exotic complications, finishing beyond compare, and gavel-shattering records on the vintage circuit.

Legends make themselves known, and every collector of historic and significant luxury watches eventually discovers the saga of the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Originally launched in the heart of the Quartz Crisis that nearly toppled the Swiss watch industry — the Nautilus embodied an act of defiance by Patek Philippe. While rival Audemars Piguet had debuted its all-steel Royal Oak luxury sports model four years earlier, Patek’s Nautilus represented a more dramatic break with its parent’s precedent.

Patek was conservative almost to a fault, and by 1976, the obsolescence of the mechanical wristwatch was evident to a degree unimaginable even at the 1972 launch of the Royal Oak. Against the tides of the market and its own patrician inhibitions, Patek Philippe commissioned legendary stylist Gerald Genta to pen a response to the audacious Audemars. Genta’s counterpoint to his own Royal Oak was both thematically similar and aesthetically distinct.

For the next 21 years, the rounded bezel, gradient dial, and flared wings of the Nautilus plowed a lone furrow through a Patek Philippe catalog groaning with dress watches, formal styles, and complications best confined to the genteel environs of sedate salons. While the 1997 Aquanaut debuted as a sort of “Nautilus-lite,” the Gerald Genta original remained the uncontested face of Patek Philippe sports models.

The First Nautilus Chronograph

Few would mention sports chronographs among the Geneva master’s core competencies, and that’s a shame.

Patek was conservative almost to a fault, and by 1976, the obsolescence of the mechanical wristwatch was evident to a degree unimaginable even at the 1972 launch of the Royal Oak. Against the tides of the market and its own patrician inhibitions, Patek Philippe commissioned legendary stylist Gerald Genta to pen a response to the audacious Audemars. Genta’s counterpoint to his own Royal Oak was both thematically similar and aesthetically distinct.

For the next 21 years, the rounded bezel, gradient dial, and flared wings of the Nautilus plowed a lone furrow through a Patek Philippe catalog groaning with dress watches, formal styles, and complications best confined to the genteel environs of sedate salons. While the 1997 Aquanaut debuted as a sort of “Nautilus-lite,” the Gerald Genta original remained the uncontested face of Patek Philippe sports models.

In 2006, that face changed in ways Patek Philippe traditionalists never could have imagined.

On the occasion of the model’s 30th anniversary, Patek Philippe debuted the first ever Nautilus chronograph. By combining the king of sporting complications with its flagship sports watch, Patek created an historic model with unprecedented youthful vigor and robust wrist presence.

The revolution was an inside-job. Specifically, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/1A packs the first automatic chronograph ever designed and produced in-house by Patek. Despite its august reputation and history of complications innovation, the Stern family’s horology empire spent most of its history reliant on outside specialists for base movements, especially chronographs.

The Chronograph Movement

In 2006, the new CH 28-520 chronograph movement launched simultaneously in this Nautilus chronograph and the 5960P annual calendar chronograph.

It’s a gem of an engine.

Consider the feature set that Patek Philippe crams into the Nautilus 5980’s case: maintenance-free ceramic winding rotor bearings; a vertical clutch that enables the chronograph to run continuously without damage; a column wheel that keeps the pusher feel crisp; a 55-hour power reserve that easily trumps the industry’s 42-hour norm; a free-sprung balance that resists shock to promote utmost timing precision.

A classic Geneva Hallmark visible through the sapphire case back is the grand finale of Patek’s in-house opus. This movement is a love letter to smitten devotees of the watchmaker’s art.

The Patek 5980 Design

But the Nautilus 5980 also makes a statement with its style. While previous Patek Philippe watches – Nautilus included – were the embodiment of reserved masculinity and traditional elegance, the 5980 was the first Patek Philippe that could be called “butch” in the contemporary parlance. This chronograph looks like a Nautilus that hit the gym with a locker full of Met-Rx.

Unlike traditional Pateks, the 5980 seems inclined to go lug-to-lug with the Oyster series professional watches from Rolex and the muscular Royal Oak Offshore from eternal rival Audemars Piguet. The 5980 is a big watch by Patek Philippe standards, and the sense of substance on the wrist is matched by its physical presence; don’t be deceived by the nominal 40.5mm case size.

While previous Patek Philippe Nautilus references dating back to the 70s measured as large as 42mm (“Jumbos”), the thickness and premium heft of the 5980 case ensures that it wears far more like a modern sports watch than any Patek Philippe before or since.

The flared flanks of the original Nautilus are preserved through artful use of tapered chronograph pushers. By extending the traditional Nautilus case “wings” to incorporate the chronograph controls, Patek Philippe stylists manage to preserve the symmetry of the Gerald Genta original. Additional aesthetic continuity is provided by the Nautilus’ famed gradient dial.

Horizontally-striated shading transforms from azure to nearly black as the dial recedes to its outermost boundaries at 12 and 6 o’clock. Patek Philippe wisely dispensed with the commonly used “compax” assortment of subdials that transform most chronographs into a crowded mass of calibrations.

Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980 Functions

In place of double or triple registers, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980 displays chronograph seconds, minutes, and hours on a central seconds hand and a “monocounter” at six o’clock. The overlapping hours and minutes display at the base of the dial preserves the symmetry and uncluttered purity of the original Nautilus. While there is no constant seconds hand, Patek Philippe’s use of a vertical clutch to engage the chronograph allows the owner to recruit the center seconds hand into full-time service with no ill consequence to the movement.

Purchasing a Pre-Owned Nautilus 5980

Overall, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/1A may be an exception among the firm’s catalog anchors, but if you’re going to launch just one sporting chronograph, make it a great one. Patek took its sole bullet and hit dead center.

When purchasing a watch with such an intricate finish, it is critical to buy the best available in order to obtain as much of Patek’s original design vision as possible. Moreover, any collector will tell you that there is only one advisable way to buy a Patek Philippe: full packaging, full manuals, full paperwork, and all accessories. All are present and correct.

Lastly, it’s important to note that 2013 marked the sunset for Patek Philippe’s muscular sports chronograph in stainless steel. This historic reference is certain to take its place in the pantheon of significant Patek Philippe Nautilus references, and an outstanding example represents the ultimate investment in daily enjoyment, high style, and enduring value.

This Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/1A is available from The 1916 Company in outstanding condition with full factory accessories.