Patek Philippe Nautilus Moon Phase with Baguette Diamonds, Display Back under Sapphire & Micro-Rotor
 
Brand: Patek Philippe 
Model: Nautilus 5724R
Case Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Automatic
Caliber: 240 PS IRM C LU
Number of Jewels: 29
Case: 18K Rose Gold
Strap: Leather
Functions: Moon Phase, Date, Hour, Minute, Small Second, Power Reserve Indicator
 
There are four giants of watch making. Companies that create only the finest watches but have long and significant histories filled with development and innovation. These are Breuget, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex - the relative newcomer, and the illustrious Patek Philippe.

While Rolex watches are universally acknowledged and recognized as luxury items, Patek Philippe watches are in a far more exclusive world. 

The cashier at your local Starbucks will not in all likelihood recognize a Patek, but there are those who will and it is a given that they will be in the top ranks of the world’s most accomplished.

I have been very fortunate over the years to have owned a fair few luxury watches, mostly Rolex, but I have never come across good watches by Patek Philippe in anywhere near the number of most other luxury watches.


That is no longer the case, and when I finally did secure a Patek more significant than the entry level Calatrava, well, it is exceptional even in a pantheon of Pateks most extraordinary watches.
The Patek Philippe Nautilus is certainly the most desirable Patek product since their creation in 1976 and there are quite a few versions of that model. Of course, most are in stainless, a limited amount in precious metal, and even fewer in precious metal adorned with factory diamonds.

The reference number, 5724 R, is exactly "that watch” that takes Patek’s sporty Nautilus into the realms of an extraordinary dress watch.

Unlike most Nautilus, the 5724 not only wears factory mounted cabochon diamonds on bezel case and catch, but also sports several complications - the most astounding of which is the moon phase function.


I won’t get into the mechanics of the watch and its complications but I will say that in typical Patek style, the dial, complications, and case are truly beautifully balanced and superbly wrought.

A very noticeable and appealing watch that’s truly rare and collectible for those that can afford it. You can easily find yourself in an elevator filled with individuals wearing Rolex and I guarantee an elevator filled with people wearing Patek Philippe would be considerably more difficult to find.
 
It is undoubtedly a good investment but that is not an important part of its appeal - at least in my consideration. It is in fact a superb art piece displaying the ultimate skills of the world’s leading watch maker and therein lies its eternal value.


To those at Patek Philippe who designed and built it, bravo.
 
Cheers, 
David Charles Grainger