Patek Philippe Nautilus 5990/1A-001

The brainchild of legendary watch designer Gerald Genta, the Nautilus was introduced in 1976 to compete with Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, another now-iconic Genta-designed steel sports watch launched a few years earlier. Its case shape, with ear-like projections either side, was like nothing the industry had seen before and despite not being an immediate hit it’s now one of the most sought-after Patek models around. The 5990/1A, now discontinued, enhances an already remarkable watch with a host of extremely useful functions, comprising a second time zone—with a day and night indicator for both local and home zones—a date, displayed on the sub dial between 11 and 1 o’clock, subsidiary seconds and a flyback chronograph. Stainless steel, with a horizontally embossed black dial and white gold applied hour markers, it exudes high-end luxury and is powered by the automatic Caliber 28-520 S C FUS which holds a power reserve of 45 hours. The movement is visible through the case back, revealing the 21k gold rotor engraved with the brand’s Calatrava cross and decorated with côte de Genève stripes.