Patek Philippe Nautilus: Reference Comparison Guide (5711, 5811, 5980, 5990)

The Nautilus is the watch that turned Patek Philippe into a sports-watch powerhouse. Born in 1976 from Gérald Genta’s porthole-inspired design, it has since branched into a small family of references that look almost interchangeable on a listing page but differ sharply in material, movement, complication, and price. Two transitions matter most to buyers today: the discontinued steel time-and-date 5711 giving way to its white-gold successor the 5811, and the chronograph 5980 sitting alongside the Travel Time chronograph 5990.

This guide maps those four references in one place — what each one is, what actually changed between them, and how to choose. If you’re comparing two specific references, jump to the table for the pair you’re weighing.

How to read the references: the Nautilus splits into two lines here. The time-and-date line runs steel 5711 (40mm) → white-gold 5811 (41mm). The chronograph line runs 5980 (chronograph) and 5990 (chronograph + Travel Time), both at 40.5mm. The 5711 and the steel 5990/1A have both been discontinued, which drives much of their secondary-market behaviour.

At a glance: every reference

	5711/1A	5811/1G	5980/1A	5990/1A
Image Ref:
Line	Time & date	Time & date	Chronograph	Chrono + Travel Time
Years	2006–2021	2022–present	2006—2014	debut 2014 (Baselworld); steel disc. 2021
Case diameter	40 mm	41 mm	40.5 mm	40.5 mm
Case thickness	8.3 mm	8.2 mm	12.6 mm	12.53 mm
Case material (this ref)	Stainless steel	White gold	Stainless steel	Stainless steel
Case construction	3-part	2-part monobloc	2-part	3-part
Movement	Cal. 26-330 S C (final models)	Cal. 26-330 S C	CH 28-520 C	CH 28-520 C FUS
Beat rate	28,800 vph (4 Hz)	28,800 vph (4 Hz)	28,800 vph (4 Hz)	28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve	35–45 h	35–45 h	45—55 h	45—55 h
Water resistance	120 m	120 m	120 m	120 m
Key complications	Date	Date	Flyback chronograph (mono-counter)	Flyback chronograph + Travel Time (dual time, day/night)
Retail (this ref)	~$30,000	$69,790	~$69,790	$68,600 (2023)

Time-and-date line: 5711 → 5811

The 5811/1G is the direct replacement for the steel 5711, and the differences run deeper than the obvious material swap.

Material and size. The 5711 is a 40mm stainless steel watch standing 8.3mm tall. The 5811 grows to 41mm in diameter while shaving 0.1mm of height to 8.2mm, and switches to white gold for both case and bracelet. The 1mm of extra diameter gives it more wrist presence — useful on wrists over roughly 18cm, where the 5711 can read small — while the white gold adds noticeable weight and a more substantial feel.

Case construction. This is the most interesting technical change. The 5711 (2006–2021) used a three-part case. The 5811 returns to the two-part monobloc construction of the original 1976 Nautilus (reference 3700), where the mid-case and caseback are a single piece. That choice forces dial-side access for servicing and required Patek to develop a new patent-pending pull-out-piece lever system for the crown in place of the old split-stem design. It is also harder to manufacture: a flaw during production can mean scrapping a whole section rather than a single part.

Dial. The 5711 carries a flat blue dial with the signature horizontal embossed pattern and an unframed date window at 3 o’clock. The 5811 keeps the embossed pattern but moves to a sunburst blue dial with black gradation that shifts from a lighter centre to darker edges, and adds a white-gold frame around the date window (a detail that first appeared on the green-dial Nautilus). Hour markers and baton hands are applied and lume-coated on both; the 5811 uses white-gold markers to match its case.

Bracelet and clasp. The 5711’s brushed steel bracelet and standard clasp give way to a white-gold bracelet with alternating polished and satin-brushed finishes, plus a new patented fold-over butterfly clasp. The clasp adds a lockable micro-adjustment that extends the bracelet 2–4mm without tools — a genuine comfort upgrade in warm weather.

Movement. Both the final 5711 and every 5811 use caliber 26-330 S C (212 parts, 21k yellow-gold rotor, 27mm × 3.32mm, 28,800 vph, Gyromax balance, Spiromax balance spring). Power reserve is rated 35–45 hours on both. The practical difference is the stop-seconds (hacking) function: earlier 5711s with caliber 324 SC could not hack — setting exact time meant pushing on the back of the crown — whereas the 26-330 SC (introduced on the 5711 in 2019 and carried into the 5811) lets you stop the seconds hand to set time precisely.

Chronograph line: 5980 vs 5990

Both are 40.5mm Nautilus chronographs with 120m water resistance, but they serve different purposes.

Complication. The 5980 is a pure flyback chronograph built on the CH 28-520 C caliber, with a distinctive mono-counter subdial at 6 o’clock that displays both elapsed minutes and hours in one register. The 5990 uses the CH 28-520 C FUS movement: it keeps the flyback chronograph (now a conventional 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock) but trades the hour totalizer for a Travel Time function — dual time zones shown by two central hour hands (a skeletonized hand for home time, a solid hand for local time), with day/night indicators for both zones. The date moves with it, from a window at 3 o’clock on the 5980 to a pointer-date subdial at 12 o’clock on the 5990, paired with local time.

Case and dimensions. The added pushers for the dual-time function pushed the 5990 to a three-part case (bezel, middle, back) versus the 5980’s two-part case; the travel-time pushers integrate into the left-side “ear.” Despite the extra complication, the 5990 is fractionally thinner — 12.53mm vs the 5980’s 12.6mm. The source describes this delta two ways (about 0.07mm thinner, and the movement only 0.3mm thicker while adding 47 parts); both figures should be fact-checked.

Dial. Both share the horizontal embossed guilloché pattern. The 5990 has worn a graduated grey sunburst over its life; the current 5990/1A-011 carries a blue sunburst with a radial gradient that matches the modern Nautilus look.

Which Nautilus should you buy?

• Steel time-and-date, and value collectibility above all? The discontinued 5711 is the blue-chip steel Nautilus — but supply is scarce and pricing is extreme (see Market notes).
• Want the current time-and-date Nautilus with the upgrades? The 5811/1G is the only way to buy this watch new from Patek. You get white gold, the monobloc case, the gradient dial, the micro-adjust clasp, and hacking seconds — at a materially higher price and weight.
• Chronograph purist? The 5980 gives you the cleanest chronograph layout with its mono-counter at 6 o’clock.
• Want travel functionality? The 5990 adds dual-time and day/night indicators while wearing fractionally thinner — the more practical everyday-traveller pick.
• Steel vs. precious metal in the chronograph line? Steel references (5980/1A, 5990/1A) carry the strongest “hype” demand; rose-gold versions (5980/1R, 5990/1R) trade on rarity and have shown strong appreciation.

Market notes

Secondary-market prices for the Nautilus move constantly and have been unusually volatile, so treat every figure here as directional, not advice — and confirm current pricing before you act.

• 5711 (steel, discontinued): roughly $30,000 retail when available; traded over $100,000 pre-owned before discontinuation, with a reported peak near $200,000, since settling around $89,000–$100,000.
• 5811/1G (white gold): $69,790 retail at launch; typically around $145,000–$150,000 on the secondary market.
• 5980: rose-gold 5980/1R cited rising from ~$75,000 (2016) to ~$225,000 (fact-check; source frames as ~18% annualized over six years). Steel-model retail not stated in source.
• 5990: steel 5990/1A near ~$56,000 retail in 2016, ~$150,000 secondary, with a brief spike to ~$210,000 after the 2021 discontinuation; current retail $68,600 for steel 5990/1A-011 and $118,280 for rose-gold 5990/1R-001 (2023). Tiffany & Co. dial variants command large additional premiums.

Patek actively manages scarcity: CEO Thierry Stern has stated the company is vigilant about rarity and buys back a few hundred pieces a year from the secondary market to monitor flipping.

Frequently asked questions

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