Tim Mosso's "Watches Tonight" tackles the challenge of luxury watch models that become bigger than the watch brands that birthed them. Today's show considers the case of the 2021 Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 green dial -- the last of the Nautilus 5711 series. Why is Patek Philippe's most recognizable watch being discontinued? Thierry Stern, owner and chief of Patek was clear; one watch cannot overshadow the brand itself. Tonight, Tim considers the case of the Nautilus, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Tudor Heritage Black Bay, and other iconic watches that dominate public awareness of their parent brands.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700 was created in 1976 by designer Gerald Genta. Launched two years after Genta's own AP Royal Oak and the same year as his IWC Ingenieur SL (1832), the Nautilus didn't immediately advance to prominence and runaway success. Although several full size and mid-size Nautilus models were a constant feature in the catalog, Patek Philippe collectors largely looked elsewhere from 1976 to 2006. That year, Patek launched the 30th anniversary Nautilus, the 5711. This was a landmark model, but watch buyers didn't immediately grow infatuated.

In fact, the current watch collector obsession with the Nautilus 5711 didn't emerge until 2018. As recently as 2015 and 2016, the Patek Philippe 5711 could be purchased from dealer stock or bought used for under $30,000. By 2019, that had changed; by 2020, the Nautilus had become a fixation -- and in the view of Patek -- a distraction. Although still priced at $34,890 dollars at Patek Philippe dealers, waiting lists had stretched for years, and used examples of the 5711 were selling for over $100,000 as preowned watches.

Rather than permit one watch to monopolize attention, Stern declared that the Nautilus 5711 would be discontinued at the end of the 2021 model year. Naturally, that means launching final versions of the Nautilus with green dials and one, the 5711/1300A-001, with an extravagant diamond-set bezel. While neither watch is a limited edition, both will be limited in production by a solitary model year and careful vetting of watch collectors who request a purchase.

Technically speaking, not much changes from the 2020 Patek Philippe Nautilus to the 2021 5711/1A-014. Naturally, the green dial is a significant change from the previous Nautilus blue gradient dial. Inside the case, the new-for-2020 caliber 26-330 SC continues with a silicon hairspring, automatic winding, a Gyromax free sprung balance, and the cherished hacking seconds function. Power reserve for the 26-330 is 45 hours, and the watch comes from Patek Philippe guaranteed to run -3/+2 seconds.

Critically, Patek Philippe does not plan to cease production of the Nautilus model line. The 5980 chronograph, the 5726 annual calendar, and the Nautilus 5712 moon phase power reserve will remain in production. And despite price inflation and waiting lists similar to the Nautilus the Patek Aquanaut 5167a will remain in production.

Other watches have come to dominate public attention and overshadow the watchmakers behind them. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is an iconic dive watch and period peer to the legendary Rolex Submariner. But Blancpain struggles to gain traction with its dress watches and non-diving products. The Tudor Heritage Black Bay is a formidable combination of capability and value, but Tudor Watch wishes the Pelagos, 1926, Glamour, Advisor, Fastrider, and Pelagos drew as much attention from watch collectors. And Audemars Piguet, the house of the Royal Oak, has become the poster child for over-dependence on a single watch model family.

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