The speculations about the 50th-Anniversary of the Patek Philippe Nautilus are running rampant -- and as it is such a joy, we will present our thoughts on the 50th Anniversary of the Patek Philippe Nautilus below. Before we join the speculations, let us keep in mind:

• First of all the 50th Anniversary is a BIG thing for this watch; for any watch. Half a century is special and something completely different than 40 or 60 years and whether another similarly big Anniversary will be done (ie. at 100y) at all or the Patek Nautilus became obsolete then and a niche without the need to celebrate -- no one knows today. What is for sure, instead: none of the grandseigneurs on the helm of the top-dog from Geneva today, will experience the 100th in 50y from now, 2076. So, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any Stern: a celestial constellation.

• What IS the Nautilus? What separates it and what is the most characteristic aspect of it? In short and pointed: it is the ears; it is the case construction-system and nothing else. Not the dial, not the movement -- all that is interchangable; nothing of that was patented in relation of its release. Nothing else defines the Patek Nautilus but the monocoque-case construction where the left ear hides a hinge and the right ear holds the screws to safely close the bezel of the two-part case.

This is the same with the AP Royal Oak, which is defined by its monocoque-case construction and the eight screws closing it characteristically as well. Other characteristic and brand-defining watch-series' are no exception: the Omega Manhattan with its claws, the Hublot Fusion with its 6 screws or the IWC Ing with its screwed bezel grabbed by the 5 holes.

This ears-on-monocoque-principle was applied by Patek to the ref3700 Jumbo-Nautilus and then four years later (1980) to the ref3770 Nautilus-Ellipse (or Ellipse-Nautilus, more correct) -- proving that even an Ellipse could be a Nautilus and the principle is as characteristic as it is versatile. The last innovative and spectacular application of the Nautilus-system was the Cubitus -- a more edgy variant, but basically a Nautilus: the Cubic-Nautilus.

Now, what to expect for the Anniversary? I dont know, sure. But I would do three things to give it a kick-start:

• I would bring a two-tone full-gold Nautilus: yellow- & whitegold. Why? Because the best-looking Nautilus is the bicolor -- the highlighted interlinks and the exalted visibility of the two-part monocoque-case is the essence. No single-tone comes close. Interestingly, the fact manufacturers used steel as a base and gold just for the accents to save material-costs due to the high goldprice, is a child of the late 1970s and '80s. But now, given the (inflation-adjusted) goldprice is not so high as it was back-then and the even higher product-prices in watches changed the relation, it should be possible for Patek to come by with a serious twotone solution: yellowgold case and bracelet highlighted by whitegold bezel and interlinks plus a yellowgold classic Nautilus ribbon-dial with whitegold indexes; and later this year a variant with a darkgreen ribbon dial.

• I would bring a more round / ellipsoid version of the Nautilus -- maybe the Gerald Genta-designed Ellipse-Nautilus ref3770 again -- as a counterweight to the edgy Cubitus-Nautilus. This would make up a full portfolio of shapes: the classic Jumbo-Nautilus; a more edgy Cubic-Nautilus and a round / ellipsoid Ellipse-Nautilus.

• I would introduce a Nautilus pocketwatch. This would fill a niche and spark a future-trend and even more: a pocketwatch allows a big variety of designs, complications and dial-artwork due to its size.

And the order of these three market shakeups? Not sure but one now (tomorrow) another one in Milano in Octobre 2026 and another towards end of the year 2026.

NB: All the above-said about the characteristic two-part monocoque is true and it is completely irrelevant Patek made the ref5711 (and some others) as a tri-part case with a see-through screwed caseback. This is as shortlived as the forward-viewport of the Titan; a trend that implodes in nonsense, right now.

NB2: What I would absolutely not do: beware, no limited edition -- limit by price, limit by manufacturing-capacities and / or limit by excellence but not by an artificial rule / number. Also, no Nautilus-chronograph or perpetual-calendar with a set of pushers.

NB3: And now it becomes very likely they bring a 50pcs limited edition of a Nautilus-chronograph with see-through caseback. ;-)