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The Top 5 Diamond Watches of all Time: The Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5719/10G-010
There’s an old saying in watch collecting circles which reads, ‘when you wear a Rolex, people complement your watch. When you wear a Patek Philippe, people wonder who you are.’
It’s a catchy enough aphorism (although not one I’m sure I agree with completely), likely concocted by some long forgotten sage as a way to express the difference between Rolex’s bold but more mainstream appeal versus Patek’s understated exclusivity.
Both brands have cultivated elite standing in the industry, although aimed at different audiences. By and large, Rolex wearers appreciate being noticed. The reputation of the company means owning one demonstrates to others that you have ‘arrived’.
Patek, on the other hand, is generally reserved for more old money discretion. These are for people who don’t care if you think they’ve arrived, because they’ve been here all along.
Compared to Rolex’s output, Patek’s is altogether more restrained and unobtrusive; they are the vintage Bentley rather than the latest 911, the bespoke Saville Row suit over the designer street wear. Undemonstrative versus conspicuous. On the whole—subtle.
Although, there are exceptions.
The Great Divide
The problem with old money individuals, as far as luxury brands are concerned, is they tend to know the value of everything. Including their old money.
You see it all the time in England. The landed gentry drive home to their immense country piles in 30-year old Land Rovers, clad in wax jackets with threadbare elbows bought while the Luftwaffe were still overhead.
Old money will spend a great deal to secure themselves the very best example of something—once. Their families have remained ultra wealthy, often for centuries, by putting every penny to work. The things they buy are bought because they will last at least one lifetime and preferably several.
That’s admirable, of course, from a sustainability standpoint. But it’s not much good if you happen to be in the making and selling extremely expensive watches game. When you are faced with a traditional target market who tend to buy a new timepiece with the same regularity as the passing of Halley’s Comet, it behooves you to perhaps spread your wings and start focusing on different sections of society. Sections that spend money as if the right to do so was about to be taken away and creating watches that appeal specifically to them.
Naturally, these people tend to have very different tastes to the fox hunting and tweed set. And those tastes often run completely counter to the sensibilities by which Patek has long operated.
Forget subtlety, goodbye decorum and so long restraint. We now enter into the world of showy excess and extravagant flamboyance.
The Patek Philippe Nautilus
It’s not as if Patek is a stranger to diamonds or precious stones in general. Not long after the brand was founded in 1839, they began creating high jewelry pocket watches for their aristocratic clients. Their first wristwatch, made for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary in 1868, featured diamond accents.
Many of their current customers include monarchs and other assorted elite families, and they are also often partial to a well-executed touch of delicate glitz.
The Nautilus ref. 5791/10G-010 is not that.
It is actually a good indicator of the types this extraordinary watch is aimed at that, at its foundation, it is one of the most disruptive, important and iconic models ever made.
The Nautilus came into being at a time when no one wanted mechanical watches. 1976 was the heart of Quartz Crisis season. The revolutionary technology which outdid even the finest traditional pieces in every measurable way had only been around for six or seven years by then.
But the impact was already seismic. Swiss maisons with centuries of history were dropping like flies and, in many ways, the Nautilus was Patek’s last ditch hail Mary.
The story of this death throe final attempt is a well-known one. As with Rolex, Patek reasoned the only way to combat the mauling they were receiving was to pivot away from concepts such as accuracy and value (at which competing with quartz was a nonstarter) and promote notions of heritage, luxury, artistry and tradition.
But that did not mean they couldn’t be innovative or shake up the status quo.
However, when Patek head Philippe Stern was approached by design legend Gerald Genta with his sketch of a new watch, Stern was still understandably hesitant.
It was a clear follow-on from the Royal Oak Genta had penned for Audemars Piguet just a few years previously. The nautical flavor was evident in both; AP’s reportedly based on old timey diving helmets, this new piece drawing on the look of a ship’s porthole. Each had an integrated bracelet and a complicated geometric bezel. And both belonged in the newly created category of luxury sports watch.
That last was the biggest bone of contention for Stern. Sports or tool watches, luxury or otherwise, were almost exclusively crafted from steel. However, with Patek wanting to out-awe the quartz invasion, would a steel sports watch have the requisite air of opulence and grandeur they were going for? (The fact Genta had sketched his design in five minutes during his lunch break likely gave Stern cause for concern too).
You get the feeling the decision to go ahead was more a ‘what have we got to lose’ judgement in the end. Patek had to do something substantial if they were going to survive, and the Nautilus turned out to be just that and then some.
It may have been a slow burner, initially generating a cult following among those who appreciated the unorthodox and the daring, but by the start of the 21st century, there was no going back. Its star truly hit the ascendancy with the arrival of the fabled steel ref. 5711 in 2006, and pretty soon every megastar of stage, screen and billboard felt underdressed without their Nautilus.
The Nautilus ref. 5719/10G-010
With a client list now factoring in both extremes of the rich list; hip hop royalty to bona fide monarchies, it was only a matter of time before the ref. 5719/10G-010 happened.
Launched in 2016, the reference can trace its lineage back to the legendary 5711, via its white gold equivalent, the ref. 5713. That model came with the added luxury of a diamond-encrusted bezel. The ref. 5719, on the other hand, has a diamond-encrusted everything.
In total, this remarkable watch boasts 1,343 flawless stones, with a combined weight of 18.73 carats. To break that down, the case is festooned with 100 round brilliant-cut diamonds, with a further 32 baguette-cut and set into the bezel. That famous bracelet accounts for an incredible 803 round stones, while the clasp alone has 150 baguettes. On the dial, three more baguettes take the place of the 12, 9 and 6 markers, and some 255 round diamonds swamp the face itself, arranged to mimic the signature teak decking stripes the Nautilus has had since the beginning. The only peek at that white gold case comes at the ears, the two protrusions from the side which act as both crown guard and a way to secure the bezel. They alone do not have diamond enhancements.
In many ways, this is about as far from traditional Patek as it is possible to get. Yes, the brand has long been at the very top of the game, one third of the Holy Trinity of watchmakers, their creations amongst the most special and sought-after in the world.
But it has always been a secret kind of luxury. You have to actually know a little about watches to know just what a Patek is and what they represent. The ref. 5719/10G-010 removes that side of it. This is not stealth wealth, this is shout it from the rooftops levels of affluence.
As you might imagine, owners of this particular model inhabit a different strata of society than the average Calatrava wearer. Mark Wahlberg (actor), Post Malone (rapper), Nicki Minaj (singer), Kylie Jenner (god knows) have all been spotted wearing the ultimate anti-Patek. And their patronage almost accounts for the entirety of 5719 production.
Although official figures aren’t known, only a handful of the 5719/10G-010 have been made. A rose gold variant, the 5719/10R-010, launched in 2018 carrying the same weight of diamonds, and only 10 of those are thought to have seen the light of day. Drake has one. He wore it to the Hublot collectors event in Miami.
So, we have an extremely rare version of an extremely coveted watch covered with extreme levels of bling. You would be forgiven then for thinking the asking price would be on the extremely expensive side as well.
Unbelievably however…no, you’d be right. Retail price for both versions hovered around the half million mark when they launched. Now both have been discontinued, you can expect that to look like a bargain. A quick search on some preowned platforms tells us that the original white gold model is already trading at least 10% higher than retail, while you’ll need closer to three-quarters of a million for the ultra-rare rose gold piece.
Of course, they are not to everyone’s taste and larger than life watches need larger than life wearers to do them justice. But whether they float your boat or not, there is no getting away from the fact the Diamond Nautilus’s are two spectacular watches.
Featured Photo: Mixed art by Oriol Mendivil for BKT Archive.
