Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740/1G-001

In-Depth Review

The Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740/1G-001 is, by most accounts, the ultimate expression of the Nautilus concept. Gerald Genta's iconic 1976 design is pushed to its absolute technical limit here, housing the ultra-thin automatic Caliber 240 Q, a movement just 3.88mm thick that incorporates a full perpetual calendar with day, date, month, leap year indicator, and moon phase accurate to one day in 122 years. All of this sits within the familiar 40mm Nautilus case, now rendered in 18k white gold with the signature blue-black gradient dial. The integrated white gold bracelet drapes on the wrist with a fluidity that belies the mechanical complexity underneath. Patek introduced this reference in 2018, and it instantly became one of the most sought-after watches in the world.

The 5740/1G is for the collector who wants one watch to rule them all: a sports-elegant perpetual calendar thin enough to slide under a dress shirt cuff, robust enough at 60 meters water resistance for daily wear, and prestigious enough to anchor any collection. It competes in concept with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26574 and the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar, but neither matches the cultural cachet of the Nautilus silhouette. Buyers should be aware that the perpetual calendar correctors are recessed into the case flanks, requiring a stylus, so setting the watch after it stops requires patience.

At $154,000 MSRP, the 5740/1G trades around $280,000 on the secondary market, nearly double retail. This premium reflects both extreme scarcity and the fact that Patek discontinued the time-only 5711 in 2021, channeling collector demand toward remaining Nautilus references. As an investment, the 5740/1G has outperformed most financial instruments over the past five years. Even for buyers indifferent to speculation, the combination of an ultra-thin grand complication movement in a perfectly proportioned sports case makes this one of the most technically impressive watches money can buy, if you can find one.