Patek Philippe

Nautilus Chronograph (Black Dial)

Name: Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph (Black Dial)
Brand: Patek Philippe
SKU: 5980/1R-001
Availability: PreOrder

Ref. 5980/1R-001

On requestSourced to order

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Case41mm 18k rose gold

DialBlack

MovementAutomatic

ComplicationChronograph

Year2017

PapersBox and Papers

The Nautilus is Gerald Genta’s 1976 porthole, the steel sports watch that redefined what Patek Philippe could be. Its horizontally embossed dial and integrated bracelet became the most requested design in modern collecting.

A Nautilus Chronograph in 41mm 18k rose gold from 2017, black on the wrist, chronograph inside.

Fun fact: The 5980 was the first Nautilus chronograph, and the only one with a single sub dial: Patek stacked the 60 minute and 12 hour counters onto one axis so the dial stayed as clean as Genta drew it in 1976.

Nautilus chronograph in solid rose gold

ReferencePatek Philippe 5980/1R-001

Case40.5mm 18k rose gold, integrated bracelet, 120m

MovementCH 28-520 C, self-winding flyback chronograph, column wheel, vertical clutch

IntroducedNautilus chronograph from 2006, this full rose gold version from 2013, since discontinued

Why this one matters

The Nautilus arrived in 1976 as ref 3700, drawn by Gérald Genta, a steel watch priced like a gold one. Patek waited 30 years before putting a chronograph into it: the 5980/1A of 2006, 40.5mm, date at 3 and a single counter at 6.

The full rose gold version on a matching gold bracelet followed in 2013 and reads differently from the steel: warmer, heavier, less conspicuous across a room. The dial layout is the interesting decision. One mono-counter combines elapsed minutes and hours on a single axis, so the face stays close to the balance of the original two-hand Nautilus instead of filling with subdials.

The movement

CH 28-520 C is Patek's in-house self-winding flyback chronograph: column wheel, vertical clutch, Gyromax balance, Spiromax spring in Silinvar, 28,800 beats an hour and 45 to 55 hours of reserve. The vertical clutch means the chronograph can be left running without wearing the train, which is the practical argument for the design. A 21k gold rotor drives it, visible through the sapphire back. The movement carries the Patek Philippe Seal, which covers the finished watch as a whole.

On the wrist

40.5mm across the bezel, but the integrated bracelet shortens the effective length, so it wears less large than the figure reads. In solid rose gold the weight is real and most of it sits in the bracelet rather than the case. The pushers are set close into the case flank and take a deliberate press. It is rated to 120m, though the pushers do not screw down.

Questions we are asked about this reference

Why is there only one subdial?

The CH 28-520 C combines the 60-minute and 12-hour chronograph registers onto one axis at 6 o'clock, which keeps the dial uncluttered.

How does it compare with the 5990?

The 5990 adds a travel time function to the chronograph in the same 40.5mm Nautilus case. The 5980 is the simpler and earlier of the two.

Can the chronograph be used in water?

The case is rated to 120m, but the pushers are not screw-down, so do not operate them while the watch is submerged.

Nautilus

Patek's sports watch of 1976, its case shaped after a ship's porthole

Patek introduced the Nautilus in 1976, drawn by Gerald Genta and shaped, as the house still describes it, after a ship's porthole. The original ref. 3700/1 was 42mm across and 7.6mm deep, water resistant to 120m, and sold in steel on an integrated bracelet at a time when Patek was known for gold dress watches; it was later nicknamed the Jumbo. The rounded octagonal bezel, the two ears at the case sides and the horizontally embossed dial still identify it. The family now runs from a time and date model through the chronograph and the travel time flyback chronograph, the moon phase with power reserve, and annual and perpetual calendars, with smaller diamond set versions alongside.

rounded octagonal bezel

ears at the case sides

horizontally embossed dial

integrated bracelet, polished and satin faces

Sizes in the family

35.2mm on the smaller models, 40mm to 41mm on the rest

Who it suits

For the buyer who wants the Patek name in something worn without ceremony, on a bracelet rather than a strap.

See every Nautilus we have