A Tiffany 5711 Nautilus, but truly Tiffany! This morning came the official and unexpected news of a new edition of the most talked about watch of the last 5 years

After announcing that the Nautilus 5711 would go out of production next year, two highly coveted new versions of the model were revealed: green dial and green dial with baguette bezel.

We all probably thought “Ok, it’s over. The last two versions that mark the end of a myth”. Maybe someone dreamed of the possibility that this was not the case and that after the two versions announced this year, some new surprises could be revealed … but if you had been told that this was a 5711 with a Tiffany dial would you have believed it? What if, in addition to the dial, the signature of the New York jeweler was also included? We do not.

Thierry Stern actually in announcing the two green versions had also mentioned a possible exit from the scene towards the end of the year (on the other hand we are in December), to really say goodbye to this reference.

A new Nautilus for the 170th anniversary of the collaboration

On the occasion of the 170th anniversary of the splendid collaboration between Patek and Tiffany, the Genevan house has announced what could be a holy grail for collectors.

Presented with the ref. 5711 / 1A-018 will be a limited edition of 170 copies, one of which is destined to go to a Phillips charity auction for The Nature Conservancy.

The 5711 Tiffany dial

This edition of 5711 features, as it should be, two strong references to Tiffany. Among other things, these are two highly sought-after items and of value for collectors from all over the world. Firstly, the unmistakable color of the dial that immediately brings to mind the New York jeweler. But that’s not all, in fact inside the dial we also find the highly sought-after signature “Tiffany & Co.”.

The caseback

There is no shortage of particularities for the back of the watch. On the sapphire crystal caseback, from which the caliber of the timepiece shines through, we find three different writings.

In the upper part we have “170th Anniversary” to indicate precisely the anniversary of the collaboration. At the center we have “1851-2021”, that is the period of time in which the collaboration took place and in addition a very small writing “LVMH” in the number 1 of 2021. Finally, at the bottom we have the last heading “Tiffany & Co. – Patek Philippe “.

Did the world need this 5711?

Excuse the rhetorical question, clearly there is only one answer.

If I remember correctly, when the decision to stop production of the 5711 was made public, Stern himself had brought as one of the main reasons, the fact that the Maison was afraid that the model in question could divert attention from its Heritage and its immense history.

So far, a more than acceptable decision. But if so … why, from the date of the announcement to today, have three new versions of the offending model been made? And why has there been so much attention to creating a lot, a lot of hype around these?

A further note that could be made to this decision then concerns the actual realization of the model. I think we all agree that often “Less Is More” and Patek Philippe could up until now be considered one of the prime examples for this saying.

So why celebrate such an important collaboration with so many “in hype” elements? Tiffany-colored dial, Tiffany signature and three different headings on the back. Wasn’t the Tiffany signature and an elegant engraving enough?

One of the 170 pieces is ready to be auctioned (for charity, mind you)! Even if a mischievous person might think that it is just a way to consolidate the already very strong power in the market that holds the brand.

Let us know what you think!

Sources: NY Times / CNBC