Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5712/1A

A complicated Nautilus for the 30th birthday

In 2005 Patek Philippe surprised collectors with the ref. 3712/1A, a steel Nautilus that packed a power reserve indicator, moon phase, date and small seconds into the porthole case. It lasted barely a year; one collector guide estimates only about 500 were made. In 2006, for the Nautilus's 30th anniversary, Patek discontinued it and replaced it with the 5712/1A.

The 5712 was launched alongside the time-only 5711/1A as part of the 2006 relaunch of the whole Nautilus line. Early on it was the one people wanted most. One collector's history says the most in-demand model of the relaunch was the steel 5712/1A, which was already trading 30 to 40 percent above retail on the gray market as early as 2007, years before the 5711 frenzy.

The case grew from about 38 mm on the 3712 to 40 mm, and the reference was offered in steel and, from the start by one account, in pink gold with a brown gradient dial. That gold version became the first Nautilus fitted with an integrated leather strap.

The micro-rotor engine

The 5712 is driven by the caliber 240 PS IRM C LU, a self-winding movement whose winding weight is a small 22K gold micro-rotor set into the movement rather than a full-size rotor sweeping over it. That is what keeps the watch slim: the movement is 3.98 mm high and the finished watch 8.52 mm thick.

One guide counts 265 components and 29 jewels, beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz) with about 48 hours of reserve. The moon phase display is accurate enough that, by one dealer guide's account, it needs to be reset only once every 122 years.

From 2009 the movement carries the Patek Philippe Seal, the company's own quality standard. The steel case uses a three-part construction with a sapphire caseback, unlike the original Jumbo's monobloc case, which puts the movement on view and makes the watch easier to service.

How to recognize one

The 5712 is identifiable from across a room because its dial is deliberately unbalanced. The small seconds sit in an unusual position near four o'clock, with the date, moon phase and power-reserve indications arranged asymmetrically around it. One auction catalogue compares the horizontal grooves of the ocean-blue dial to the teak decking of a boat.

Across nearly twenty years the steel reference changed little. The key checks are the 5712/1A-001 reference on the papers, the caliber 240 PS IRM C LU through the caseback, and the seal on the movement. A small number of steel 5712s were retailed and dial-signed by Tiffany & Co., with the signature near five o'clock, and they trade at a clear premium to standard examples.

The design was also produced in other metals: white gold, rose gold, a rose-and-white-gold 5712GR, and a rose gold 5712/1R on a bracelet. In 2007 Patek made a unique titanium example for a charity auction, where it raised 525,000 euros.

A quiet exit

Patek did not stage a farewell for the 5712 the way it had for the 5711. In early 2025 the watch simply vanished from the company's website; collectors first noticed through a social media report, and a watch magazine wrote up the news on February 3, 2025, noting that Patek had not formally confirmed it. It was one of several references dropped that year, including the steel-bracelet Aquanaut 5167/1A and the Calatrava Pilot 5524G. The rose gold 5712/1R remained in the catalogue.

By the end it was no longer an accessible watch even at retail. Its US list price was given as $51,260 in April 2024 by one guide and $51,850 in January 2025 by one market tracker. The sources found for this page do not record its 2006 launch price.

On the secondary market it trades well above retail but far below the frenzy prices of the 5711. One 2024 guide put typical sales between $100,000 and $130,000, with Tiffany-signed steel examples between $220,000 and $300,000. A 2018 Tiffany-signed 5712/1A-001 with its papers sold at auction for $176,400 in December 2022, and one market tracker estimated typical pre-owned value for a standard example at $116,623 at the end of September 2026.

The numbers

Reference

5712/1A-001 (steel); related 5712G, 5712R, 5712GR, 5712/1R; unique titanium 5712T (2007)

Caliber

240 PS IRM C LU: self-winding, 22K gold micro-rotor, 29 jewels, 265 parts, 21,600 vph (3 Hz), about 48 hours, 3.98 mm high

Case

Stainless steel, 40 mm across (about 42.5 mm across the ears by one account), 8.52 mm thick, three-part with sapphire caseback

Production years

2006 to early 2025

Production numbers

Not disclosed

Retail price

$51,260 (April 2024); $51,850 (January 2025)

Timeline

1. 1976

   Gerald Genta's Nautilus ref. 3700 is introduced.

2. 2005

   The ref. 3712/1A brings moon phase, power reserve and small seconds to the Nautilus; about 500 are thought to have been made.

3. 2006

   For the Nautilus's 30th anniversary the 5712/1A replaces the 3712, launching alongside the 5711/1A.

4. 2007

   Steel 5712s trade 30-40% above retail on the gray market; a unique titanium 5712 raises 525,000 euros at a charity auction.

5. 2009

   The movement begins to carry the Patek Philippe Seal.

6. 2018

   A steel 5712/1A-001 dial-signed by Tiffany & Co. is sold new, certificate dated June 2.

7. 2021

   The steel 5711 is discontinued; the 5712 remains in production.

8. Mar 2022

   A Tiffany-signed rose-and-white-gold 5712GR sells at auction for $201,600.

9. Dec 8, 2022

   The 2018 Tiffany-signed steel 5712/1A-001 sells at auction for $176,400.

10. Apr 2024

    US retail price stands at $51,260.

11. Feb 3, 2025

    The disappearance of the steel 5712/1A from Patek's website is reported; no formal announcement follows.

The world in 2006

• Jan 19, 2006

  NASA launches New Horizons, its first probe to Pluto.

• Feb 10, 2006

  The Winter Olympics open in Turin, Italy.

• Mar 21, 2006

  Twitter is launched.

• Jun 3, 2006

  Montenegro declares independence.

• Jul 9, 2006

  Italy beats France in the World Cup final in Germany.

• Aug 24, 2006

  The International Astronomical Union removes Pluto's status as a planet.

Price record

A realized auction price is what a buyer actually paid on the date shown, including the buyer's premium where the sale reported it. It is the strongest kind of reference price, and it is a record of one sale of one object on one day, not a promise of what the next example will bring.

By reference price, Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5712/1A is number 30 of 100 in the watches entries of the FLOAT 100. 54 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (24 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The 5712's predecessor, the 3712/1A, lasted barely a year, with only about 500 thought to have been made.
• Before the 5711 became a phenomenon, the 5712 was the steel Nautilus everyone wanted, trading above retail as early as 2007.
• Its moon phase is accurate enough to need a one-day correction only about once every 122 years.
• The rose gold version of the 5712 was the first Nautilus ever fitted with an integrated leather strap.
• A one-off titanium 5712 made for charity in 2007 raised 525,000 euros.
• Unlike the 5711, the 5712 got no farewell edition: it simply disappeared from the maker's website.