It is a unique combination of sports appeal and technical sophistication, ruggedness, and the ultimate in watchmaking artistry – with the discreet elegance of a white-gold case and the utility of a calendar that automatically recognizes the number of days in each month as well as the periodically recurring 29th of February. Thanks to the famous self-winding ultra-thin caliber 240 Q movement – it can be observed in action through the sapphire-crystal case back – the height of the case (water resistant to 60 m) is still only 8.42 mm, making this watch one of Patek Philippe’s thinnest perpetual calendar models.
The characteristic design of the bezel is emphasized by surfaces with a vertical satin finish as well as polished chamfers. The dial is decorated with the same sunburst blue motif as the watches that celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Nautilus collection in 2016; it is a nautical nuance that matches not only the original case design inspired by portholes but also the name of the collection itself. All three subsidiary dials of the perpetual calendar (day and 24-hour display at 9 o’clock, month and leap year cycle at 3 o’clock, date and moon phases at 6 o’clock) are harmoniously and legibly integrated in the octagonal face with the rounded corners. The horizontal relief embossing is a typical feature of the casually elegant Nautilus.
Legibility in the dark is enhanced with the luminous coating of the hands and gold hour markers. An ingenious system of deflection mechanisms made it possible to position the correctors of the perpetual calendar in a way that optimally matches the design of the Nautilus case. To improve wearing comfort, the white-gold bracelet, polished and satin-finished, was fitted with a new Nautilus fold-over clasp that has four independent catches which further optimize opening and closing.
