Patek Philippe 5980R Nautilus Watch Review

In 2006, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the Patek Philippe Nautilus collection was subtly

refined and scaled up with new models. Special acclaim was garnered by the Patek Philippe 5980R Nautilus Chronograph with a sporty complication to enhance its intrinsic casual elegance. Within the scope of its chronograph premières at Baselworld 2010, the Swiss watch manufacturer launched the Patek Philippe 5980R Nautilus that has appealed to an even broader audience.

The Patek Philippe 5980R Nautilus watch and it’s bracelet counter-part the Ref. 5980/1R  share an inimitable style, the elaborate construction of their cases, and the modern self-winding CH 28-520 C chronograph movement that has already become a legend. The three-part, 44mm wide case with a screwed sapphire crystal display back exhibits a typical Nautilus feature: the lateral ridges with the porthole mechanism for securing the bezel. Together with the high tech crown and pusher seals, it contributes to the remarkable water resistance of 12 bar (120 meters). This case, at once elegant and rugged, accommodates Patek Philippe’s self-winding CH 28-520 C chronograph movement with a column wheel, a vertical disk clutch, and an instantaneous aperture date at 3 o’clock that switches in a tenth of a second. Thanks to the nearly wear free disk clutch, the chronograph hand can double as a continuously running sweep seconds hand without hesitation. Accordingly, the flyback chronograph movement does not have a seconds subdial. The minute and hour counters are unusual as well: they are grouped in a monocounter with three concentric scales. It totalizes the minutes from 0 to 30 and from 30 to 60 on separate scales, while the innermost scale shows elapsed hours from 1 to 12.

In 2010 the Swiss watch house introduced the Patek Philippe 5980R  Nautilus watch worn on a alligator strap and featuring a precious metal case crafted from 18K rose gold. Because of a slightly higher proportion of copper, this alloy has a darker red hue than rose gold, so it has a more masculine look without compromising elegance. As a perfect match, the brown dial has a horizontal embossed texture and a bright/dark gradation from the center to the periphery, two typical manifestations of the Nautilus style. The prominent hour markers, nine rose gold appliques filled with a luminescent compound, constitute the formal complements to the baton style luminescent hands in rose gold. The vibration free counterbalanced chronograph/seconds hand is made of 18K rose gold as well. The shorter hour counter hand of the mono-counter is white; for better viewing, the longer and thinner minute counter hand is red. The new Nautilus Chronograph in rose gold is worn on a brown, large scaled alligator strap; it is almost seamlessly integrated into the case with exclusive lug links and secured with a comfortable fold-over clasp in 18K rose gold.