Watches & Jewellery / Watches
Patek Philippe's Nautilus Turns 50
Three anniversary references and a very limited desk clock mark half a century of Gerald Genta's design.
In 1976, at the height of the quartz crisis, Patek Philippe took a considerable gamble: a stainless-steel luxury sports watch with a porthole-shaped dial and an integrated bracelet, designed by Gerald Genta.
The Nautilus went on to redefine the entire category. Fifty years later, Patek marked the anniversary with three references a platinum 5610 limited to 2,000 pieces, a white gold 5810 in the same run, and a Nautilus desk clock in white gold limited to just 100 examples, each engraved '50 1976–2026' on its 22-karat gold microrotor.
The house arrived at Watches and Wonders 2026 with twenty new references in total, alongside a world-first complication in its Celestial Sunrise and Sunset model — proof that even watchmaking's most conservative house still has surprises in the archive.
About the author
Olivia Wang
Fashion editor and writer covering design, image-making and the creative networks connecting Southeast Asia.
