Mk V5 Patek Philippe 5711/1A-010
Patek Phillippe, a serious name when you become interested in the watch world, a serious name made of two separate, first Antoine Norbert de Patek, a Polish national, firstly a soldier in the Polish army (1st Mounted Rifles regiment), then after fleeing to France and moving to Switzerland, he started watchmaking.
Then Jean Adrien Philippe, a French watchmaker, son of a watchmaker, that always worked in the watchmaking industry.
Unknown of the existence of each other, what is known now as Patek Philippe, started in 1839 with the association of Antoine de Patek and the French watchmaker from Czech origin François Czapek.
In 1844 at the Paris Universal Exhibition they met Philippe, freshly awarded for his invention of the first keyless pocket watch, what we know today as the crown winding or manual wind.
Patek & Czapek weren't really on the same page when it came to the future of the brand, Czapek was the head of watchmaking while Patek was leading the sales and the company.
In 1845 what was known as Patek, Czapek & Cie ended, and Patek created with Phillippe and a the Polish lawyer and financier Wincenty Gostkwoski the brand Patek & Cie, later renamed Patek Philippe & Cie after the official association of Patek and Phillippe (formerly only head of watchmaking at Patek & Cie).
It's hard to know what lead to such a history, as right from the start Patek Philippe was aware of what a good public relationship could mean in such a business. But we can speculate that Czapek, a very conservative and classical watchmaker wasn't really pleased with the taste for innovation and the constant search of novelty that Philippe brought to the company.
Today, Patek Philippe is one of the most recognised brands by enthusiasts, with a pretty exclusive market and elite clientele.
Producing around 70 000 watches per years (A little over 1 million for Rolex to give you an example), they keep the market for their watches under close control.
They are one of the few brands being completely independent from any big group and only employ 220 people.
Many of their inventions are responsible for the good health of the watch market today and some of their watches are considered as iconic pieces of the watch world, the one we are interested in today is the :
Mk V5 Patek Philippe 5711/1A-010 As usual, the pictures are reduced & cropped to fit the template of the review, I strongly encourage you to click on them to enjoy the full resolution & details.
Mobile user note : this review will be more pleasant if you look at it in landscape mode.
Some links to the dictionnary of finish and decoration are scattered in the review, click on them to be redirect in a new window to the correct entry.
Technical datasheet from the TD & truth about each one :
If no observation in bold then the information from the seller is either true or unverifiable. Italic bold texts are added informations about the rep. Case: Stainless Steel 316L
Band: Stainless Steel 316L
Movement: Modified Miyota 9015
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date @3
Case width: 40mm
Thickness : 9mm | 9.01 mm (photo proof)
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal (front & back) (front photo proof - back photo proof)
Weight : 125gr (case + bracelet)
About the watch : The rep The gen
Everyone knows something about the Patek Philippe reference 5711, everyone at least knows what the watch look like and I'm guess would be that at least some of them asked themselves, why the name Nautilus ?
I will cut through that like a cubic zirconium on HandjobHasselhof bezel : for the show !
If you dig a bit around the history of the Nautilus, you'll always end up on the same story, its designer, the renowned Gerald Genta, was sat at a restaurant during the 1974 Basel Watch Fair (known as Basel world today) and had the idea of this watch by thinking about an ocean liner porthole, he sketched it on a napkin and voilà, the nautilus was born.
The truth is probably less romantic, at the time of its creation, the market wasn't as calm and controlled between the brands as today, without resorting to talk of it like it was a war (only the cuntrol of the loonie hat in RWG can be qualified as such...) it wasn't a time of peace between the big names, namely two : Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
In 1972 Genta introduced with Audemars Piguet, the revolutionary (for the time) Royal Oak design, a never seen luxury watch in Stainless Steel, at a time where it was harder to justify higher costs to mechanical watches (the Quartz was booming !).
In 1976 the Nautilus entered Patek Philippe line up, with the name being chosen, probably because of the real part of the "legend" the boat porthole and because of its sporting nature and water resistance.
Patek Philippe is often credited with being the one that dared asking a very high price for a sport stainless steel watch, but it's not really fair as the first one to take the plunge were Audemars Piguet but that just show how, right from the beginning, Patek Philippe was able to beat everyone in terms of public relationship and marketing.
The first reference of the Nautilus was the 3700, it was a bigger watch than the actual 5711, with 42 mm in diameter and if you know your history of watch sizes, you know that this was also not common at that time of smaller watches.
It was, however, a thinner watch than its modern incarnation, at 7.6mm.
It was give or take the same design as the modern 5700, same type of dial (sometimes called "Piano" dial), with a rich deep blue colour applied on a white-gold base (got to justify the price). However it was a two hand with only the hours and the minutes.
This reference was produced in various models, with various materials and dial colour until 1990.
The reference 3800 was introduced in 1981 to answer the size problem, as noted before, 42 mm was a very big format at the time, and the 3800 seduced a more classical market, with what we would call today a mid size 37.5 mm.
The other innovation of this reference was the addition of a running central second hand, giving away the change of movement, going from a Jaeger LeCoultre movement in their previous version, to an in-house calibre.
Without going into the various references that only introduced some size and movement variation, we go straight to the reference 3711 introduced in 2004, 14 years after the end of the 3700.
This is an odd one, produced only in full white-gold case, a bit thicker at 9.4mm and at much higher price, the 3711 only stayed on the market for two years before our final subject of interest came : the 5711. Now, can we get to the point, enough of this history channel trivia, you don't even have the voice of Morgan Freeman to help you get through all this pointless detail... (I'm pretty sure you hear him right now ...) Introduced in 2006, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Nautilus series (Should we call it a Nautili ? Where is my spaghetti ?) the 5711 was launched.
Or to be precise the 5711/1A-001 because as you'll see later and to the despise of all the nitpickers out there, the 5711 is not a simple and fully documented watch, at least to the public eye.
Settling at 40 mm (this measurement is always from the bezel, excluding the crown and opposite "ear") and 8.3mm, this is still the measurement of the actual model of the 5711.
There are actually seven variations (at least, documented variations) of the 5711.
- The blue dial under the reference 5711/1A-010
- The white dial under the reference 5711/1A-011
- A very limited (15 made), almost unobtainable platinum edition blue dial under the reference 5711/1P-010
- The 40th anniversary edition, in platinum with baguette diamond hours markers and blue dial, under the reference 5711/1P-011
- The rose gold and brown dial under the reference 5711/1R-001
- The white gold, grey dial and alligator strap, reference 5711G-001
- And lastly the yellow gold, white dial, alligator strap, reference 5711J-001 This review concern the rep of the 5711/1A-010, that if you can get your hands on (waiting list varies from 6 months to 2 years, depending on your AD and your relationship with him, every other absurd number means a polite "fuck off you're not getting one" from the AD) will run you a hefty $30 000 to $40 000.
The case :
Case paragraph = a silly joke about someone, since I'm still waiting for Thommo to finish his watch cabinet (his GEN watch cabinet as it appears to be now) I need to find another target for my jokes... I will see where the wind blows me (or whatever want to blow me ...)
As usual, no way to do a simple testing of what type of steel we are talking about, unless you are very sensitive to metal contact on the skin, since let’s remember that what we call 316L steel like a bunch of wannabe metallurgists, is also better known as surgical steel (it's one of them), a skin reaction whilst wearing this rep would indicate that it's not 316L.
I'm not like that, my wife is, and did not react after wearing it for quite a while so let's admit it is as advertised or that we will accept it as it is (do you have any other choice ?) Talking about sizes (I mentioned having a wife, try to keep up...), the gen is measured at 40 mm (measurement is taken from the over and under the "ears" of the case, at 10 and 4) and is 8.3 mm thick.
The rep is also a perfect 40 mm with the same way of measuring it and is 9.01 mm thick. Why be so precise ? Because I've seen a lot of measurement taken with digital calipers, giving results varying between 8.8mm and 9.3mm, they were all made using cheap digital calipers, that do the job well when you don' really care that much about accuracy to the tenth of a millimetre.
My measurement was made using a micrometer that even it's not from a very high-end brand, is way more accurate than any cheap digital calipers, and is very accurate to the hundredth of a millimetre and still good to a thousand of millimetres.
There are a lot of ways to have different results regarding the diameter of the watch, so I didn't bother using a micrometer on that part.
Now that we got the numbers out of the way, let’s talk about the shape of that case, that shape, so characteristic of Gerald Genta designs, breaking the binary code of the watches being either round or square/rectangular.
I said the shape but should I've used the plural because there are really two features that set this design apart. The first one is the softened octagonal shape of the bezel.
Setting it apart from the sharp angle of his inspirational model the Royal Oak, you can't almost see where the angles are starting, this is due to the combination of finishing used on the whole watch.
The front of the bezel being finished in a brushed metal style and the side being highly polished, this last finish blend the lines of each side of the octagon but the brushed finish allows it to be just enough present.
This bezel is something that will always look different to you depending on the angle you look at it.
Do the test yourself, by googling for some pictures of the 5711 and see that the watch seems to change shape from picture to picture, going from sharp, precise and bulky on certain angles to slim, almost slender and shallow on others.
The next very distinctive feature of the case is what is referred technically as hinges on the side, but what is used to be called "ears".
This element is what really separate this piece from the Royal Oak.
Cleverly disguised as just a case design, those "ears" also serves a very important purpose, they are part of the case design of this watch, as you can see on one of the pictures and closely mimic the function of the, now old, ocean liner of the time, with this construction allowing to tighten the sealing rings against the case.
The left "ear" is, like everything else in this watch, sporting a double finish, one part is in satin finish and the other part is polished.
The right "ear" is where the crown sits and is also both satined and polished around the crown.
Everywhere on the case you'll find this multiple finish, this was done to break the monotony of having only a brushed finish on the whole watch or only a polished finish as it was often the case (not this joke again...) when the first Nautilus was released, on other steel watches.
This was also a reminder on the various and common finish found in the boating world for what is known in French and even in English as the accastillage (Deck fittings). The crown is nicely decorated with the Patek Philippe emblem, known as the Calatrava cross, a spiritual emblem of the Order of Calatrava (Military order from the 12th century, let's not forget Mr Patek own history).
The side of the crown are fluted and softened, to improve the grip without adding a sharp shape to the front or visible part of the case when worn.
The gripping is important, I don't know about the gen as I've never had the change of manipulating one yet, but my fat fingers have a hard time screwing this crown down to press the o-ring against the tube, thanks to the fluting, I manage to seal the crown and ensure at least some moisture resistance (won't call about water resistance as I didn't get the watch tested). The sides of the case are brushed and a slight anglage is done in a classical watchmaking style, with a mirror polish (at least on the gen, but the anglage is so tiny that it's hard to differentiate it from a black polish, very unlikely on both gen and rep) The back of the hints for the first sharp features of the watch. First the six rectangular cut out of the screwed-in caseback are sharp, even though they are rounded, you can't see any anglage done on them, that would reduce their functionality and possibly make the unscrewing tool slip when serviced. The sides of the caseback are polished while the rest of it is satined, but the main feature of this caseback is the large sapphire window, again very reminiscent of a porthole, especially with those six cut out around it.
Both the front crystal and back crystal are sapphire glass, they gave my properly calibrated diamond tester a very quick reading, often associated to higher purity of sapphire or at least a higher quality process of making it (Small note on the methodology of testing in the following FAQ post).
The front crystal is not AR coated, as the gen, it's really a matter of preference there. I think AR coating isn't always a plus to the design of a watch, on very complicated and intricate dial it is nice to have it, on simpler dial design but more sophisticated case design, I think the crystal is part of the overall look. A final note on the case, perhaps you haven't noticed it, but unlike many of the other watches, this one is completely lacking any sort of marking on the case, even on the satined back, adding to the overall simplicity of the timepiece.
The markings are in fact hidden on the inside lip of the caseback, only visible if you open it. The dial :
The dial is perhaps the part of this rep that crystallises the most polarised views.
Without saying that everything is perfect on that dial or on any other 5711 rep, there's a lot that is relying on poor knowledge of how the gen dial really is or should I say, how the gen dials really are.
Let's start with the colour, it's blue (no shit Sherlock...) but it's not any kind of blue, that's all, jobs done.
Now let's talk about the shape of that dial, it's, of course, octagonal, following the shape of the case and it's made of a pattern that some people called "Piano".
Made from alternating lows and highs, forming horizontal lines across the dial, that pattern was done to stay in the marine world and imitate the teak decking of boats. It's done by an embossing from the front (there's no hollowed or extruded part on the back of the dial).
The dial is then given a very light sunray brushing but wait...
You didn't seriously think that I was going to avoid the colour of the dial at all ?
So how is that dial colour compared to gen ? The first thing it to address something that is sometimes missed by people comparing the gen and rep : most of the picture on Patek website and most of the high-resolution pictures are in fact, 3d renders so you may want to set that aside for comparison purposes.
Then we are reviewing the reference 5711/1A-010, those numbers are not only there to make an obscure reference to the watch, the last three numbers are directly related to the dial colour.
The first 5711/1A in blue was under the reference 001 this is the reference 010 (It is a naming convention from Patek, there's not 9 other blue dial variations).
The 001 version of the dial was of a lighter, less deep blue. The 011 refer to the white dial and the reference 1P-010 (platinum version) is another shade of blue, as the 1P-011 (the 40th anniversary version) is again of a different shade of blue.
It's remotely impossible to compare the rep dial with the gen dial, because there are no two dials alike from Patek.
Alongside this rep, come a rep service box, perfect copy of the genuine one, and with that box there are stickers.
The marking on those stickers are on par with the gen (to the exception of the bracelet number that doesn't exist on the gen version, it just says METAL).
One of the markings is the Dial number, a very long reference full of letters and numbers. This relates to the obsession of Patek with traceability and colours. They have a chemical division, dedicated entirely to dial colours and they keep track of every batch and every variation that could be caused by humidity, temperature or other parameters.
So if someone questions the gen-like appearance of your dial, just show them the numbers... (they are not invidiualised for the rep, of course !)
I would say that in comparison to gen pictures, at various angles, there's nothing wrong or off with this dial colour, it would be totally wrong for the 001 but it's close to perfect for the 010.
Depending on how the light hit the dial, it can go from an almost black, transition with a deep blue grey to a sunburst blue in the centre and dark on the outside. The rest of the dial is pretty simple and minimal. The hour markers are perfectly rectangular at 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock (doubled markers here). The other markers have their side the closest to the case, following the curvature of the octagonal shape and aligned with the painted white dots representing the minute markers.
On the gen, there's almost no gap between the two 12 o'clock markers, and on the rep it's the same, depending on how the light hit the dial and markers and your viewing angle, you will have the impression that they are either "glued" to each other, or clearly separated. Everything as on gen. (I'll talk about the alignement of them in the FAQ post)
The hour markers are lumed, and with a white lume, I don't know what the rep makers used, but it's on par to what is usually referred as SuperLuminova C3 as advertised on one of my reps, meaning it's very bright and reactive, that why on certain pics it can appear to have a greenish tint, it indeed has that tint because the luming material is emitting light. Under normal conditions, the markers appear white (the watch was here repeatedly shot with a flash light, charging the luming compound).
On the gen the markers are in white gold, giving them a slightly different shine and hue than on the rep, but nothing you could notice, even side by side. The Patek Philippe Genève text is centred and sits on two stripes, going from edge to edge for the Patek Philippe part of the text. This is as per gen and even if you have the feeling that the text is "bleeding" over-the-top edge, it can also happen on the gen version of the previous dial.
I say previous dial, because there's a catch here, a sneaky move that Patek pulled out this year (2018) and that was discovered at BaselWorld.
Without any notice or change of number, they updated the dial of this reference. Everything is the same, at one exception. The text on the dial is now what is called "boxed" and is equal to the white version of the dial and the platinum version.
If you want to stay true to your lies in your next big boy with big bucks meeting, don't forget to say that you have the pre-2018 version of it, you know, the most desirable one... The hands are characteristic of the Nautilus series, they don't have a specific name, though, but what could be the best way to describe them would be to call them rounded paddle-style hand (paddle-style hand is a thing, look at the Blancpain Bathyscaphe). They are also luminescent with the same colour as the markers.
The second hand is a very simple and thin Patek style kind of hand, you'll find this type of second hand on various other Patek Philippe models.
At the bottom of the dial, there's only the Swiss word, painted in white, right below the 6 o'clock marker.
Lastly, the infamous date window and his date wheel, a recurring fixation point for the nitpickers out there. So how does it compare to the gen on this version ?
The font is correct in his style, no error on that point. However, it's a bit bolder on this Mk V5 than on the genuine and the numbers between 20 and 30 are a bit shorter than on gen, they should take the entire height of the date window, whereas here, they leave a small blank on top and bottom.
On the gen the numbers are raised a bit more, giving them a rounder 3d appearance. This is due to the pad printing process being done multiple times until the desired thickness is achieved.
Be aware that on some pics the date could appear off centred, it's absolutely not the case, but the date wheel being slightly lower on the rep, the casting of the shadow produce this appearance.
It also allows the previous or next number to be seen if you look at the dial at very low angle. The movement : Modified Miyota 9015 Patek 324 SC
And yet another point of tension for the 5711 lover, the look of the movement, because we all know that having an exact clone of a simple date, 3 hand movement is the more important thing !
"Our rep makers will use the same materials and same care to the movement, so that will make a world of difference " ... said no one ever !
The gen movement is the Patek Calibre 324 SC (SC for Seconde Centrale or Central second in English), a 29 jewels automatic, non-hacking, with around 45 hours of power reserve, beating at 28800 bph.
This 324 SC is fitted with a 21-carat gold rotor, winding in a unidirectional way in a counter-clockwise direction.
Size wise, because in this rep, it's all about the size (... make the joke yourself, filthy animal), the gen movement is 27 mm in diameter and only 3.3 mm in thickness.
This movement is found in around 40 Patek Philippe watches. On certain models, the 5711 it has been known for some problem with the date wheel for example, or to the fragile overall feeling that it can sometimes show, but it's considered to be a very good movement. The rep is fitted with a slimed down version of the Miyota 9015, with 24 jewels, automatic, of course, hacking, with around 42 hours of power reserve and beating at 28800 bph.
The rotor is, of course, not gold and although it's also a unidirectional winding mechanism, this one is operating in a clockwise motion.
In terms of size, the accuracy of the original Miyota 9015 allowed the rep maker to make it scary close to the gen measurements. The original is only 3.9 mm thick and 26 mm in diameter.
Shaving some parts without compromising the stability has probably not been an issue, and a simple larger movement ring resolved the size differences with the gen. To make it look like the gen movement, the rep makers have decorated the Miyota 9015 with some fake elements and engravings.
On the gen, you will find some distinctive features, such as the now-famous Patek Philippe hallmark, replacing the Geneva Hallmark.
A note on that part, the Patek Philippe Hallmark replaced the Geneva Hallmark because they felt that the Geneva Hallmark wasn't strict enough and wasn't looking at all the details of a watch. For memory, the Geneva seal is only awarded to watch that follow strict standards of function and finishing of the movement and is awarded by an independent company. Patek switched to their own Hallmark at BaselWorld 2009 after 120 years of collaboration with the Geneva Hallmark company The golden rotor of the watch is sporting a big Calatrava cross engraved on top of a very fine Côte de Genève pattern (as per gen). The pattern is very subtle as it should on the top and is coarser on the side of the rotor, again as it should. The centre of the rotor has a glued fake thin plate on it with a single flat screw head to mimic the appearance of the gen.
Underneath you'll find the regular three screws of the Miyota movement.
Around this fake screw plate, the ring is decorated by small perlage dots, again as per gen. The next big visible thing is the balance bridge or balance cock depending on the terminology you want to use (Pretty sure GingerBlubba will use balance cock...)
On the rep, due to the Miyota movement conception, it's the correct place but wrong position (meaning it's inverted)
So does pretty much everything on the movement in the rep. So if you stumble on a Patek movement specialist and if you allow him to look at the movement, and see him raising an eyebrow... be sure to let him know that you bought this model in Australia...
The balance bridge is of the right shape and with the correct screw placement and decoration (showing the direction for regulating the watch).
The shock absorber system is different on the rep. This is the standard Miyota 9015 shock absorption system, with the square spring.
On the gen you'll find a more traditional Incabloc double cone, with the distinctive Lyre spring in gold colour forming to "W" facing to each other. The regulating organs are different on the gen, traditional Miyota or generic style even. The balance wheel is also different from the gen, being standard on this rep rather than more complicated on the gen.
The rep features the correct decoration on the movement, including the Patek Philippe Hallmark, the use of a golden chaton around some jewels (of course it's fake on the rep). And the Côte de Geneve and perlage pattern everywhere on the movements bridges and plates.
Beside being on opposite sites, the screws, jewels and other decorations are correctly placed and in the same quantity as the gen with the exception of the transmission gear of the reversing wheel that has to be kept and thus introducing a little difference to the look of the movement around that area (misplacing two jewels and lacking one jewel with a shock absorber) On the subject of the markings, the initial QC pics for the pre-release of the watch were showing a blatant mistake in the text, the word "GENEVE" was spelled "CENEVE" missing a bar to turn a "C" in a "G" (works with all kinds of swear words, try it).
It's been corrected on every QC pics of this watch that I was able to see. However there are still two mistakes, albeit some small ones, the world COLD has an incorrectly formed "D" making it look like "COLO" and the word "ADJUSTED" is misspelled as "ADJUSETD"
For the nitpicker out there (and I know they'll read this review, yeah, I'm THAT popular !) there's a difference in the quality of finish of the movement, of course, the anglage is lousy and the result of an automated CNC work and, of course, the engraving are done with a spinning endmill rather than with a classic engraving tool.
Looking at it with a microscope clearly shows the milling marks and the lack of bevelling on the engravings.
But this will not be noticed, even by you, with your bare eyes. The strap & buckle :
And another big point of complaints from some people : the bracelet ! This one isn't focused on something silly for once !
Let's address it immediately and we will get back to it in the FAQ section following this review.
For larger wrist, let’s say for any wrist over 6.5" (16,5cm) this focusing point isn't a big deal. But for small wrists (looking at you "Baby Wrist Logixa"...) the flexibility of the first links is a key feature on the watch.
This beautiful timepiece is conceived to hug the wrist tightly to keep a low profile and elegant curve.
If the first links are not flexible enough and rub against each other, a weird gap will form and that will make you look like an idiot, or that's what I heard...
Frankly, you don't have to worry here, as this MK v5 isn't suffering from that defect and is as flexible as required. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s look at the bracelet from a technical point of view. It features three types of steel finishing : Satined on the front side links ; High polish on the centre link and Brushed on the back and side of the links.
On the first link, on its back, you'll find one of the rare marking featured on the exterior watch (the others being on the clasp). A384EBP is not a serial number but an identification serial for the bracelet. A is for Acier (Steel) 384 is the identification number of the 5711 Nautilus and EBP is referring to the pin method of fixing the links from 2014. It would have been EAC between 2012 and 2014. BDP from the screwed version in 2011.
Yes, the links are pined (regular pins, not split pins), usually not liked by the high end watch consumers but without having any concrete information on that, it is believed that Patek did that to ensure proper care and adjustment of the watch at their service centre. It is a bit reaching if you ask me, as it's unlikely that this type of watch would go anywhere else than in a Patek certified centre, and if not, this wouldn't hurt Patek economy a lot. So there's probably another reason, that is unknown. The comfort of this bracelet is fantastic, this is due to the link being flat on the inside and not reproducing the curvature found on the other side.
The clasp is a double deployant style with a securing tab on top of it. You are in no danger of losing the watch with those three securities.
And gen Patek owners of certain batches are thankful for that ! If you do a little googling with those words "Patek Nautilus clasp problem" you'll find some interesting results of people complaining and showing (there's a video on YouTube) how the clasp is easily popped open without anything more than a tension of the wrist.
The worst part about it ? According to those same gen owner, Patek don't cover it and won't offer a replacement for it... That's where you remember the Patek Philippe Hallmark supposed to award an outstanding quality of construction of the whole watch.
But you are cleverer than that, you didn't bother waiting for a gen that you'll never get, you choose the rep route, and that allows you to have, with this MK v5 a perfectly solid clasp closure.
This is done by having (as everything is the same on the gen) on each side of the deployant clasp, two tabs that fit inside each other (as seen on following pics) by friction.
The securing tab is then closed on top of that and secured by the friction of two ceramic balls on each side.
On my rep, one of these ceramic balls is too recessed inside the bracelet and do not make contact with the securing clasp, allowing it to be open without a lot of effort which is a good thing considering that some people report having a very hard to open securing clasp.
If that were to happen to you, it's probably an easy fix as those ceramic balls are glued in place, a little heat should allow you to replace them or a competent watchmaker could do it for you to adjust the tension.
In regards to the look of the clasp, you will find the Patek Philippe Geneve text engraved on the inside of it.
The Calatrava cross is embellishing the securing clasp, perfectly in the centre and without any tool mark visible (same for the inside text engraving, a very well-done job). My overall impression & Some beauty shots : Being my longest review to date, this section is certainly important and will allow those easily bothered by my content (but they probably won't read that either) to have a quick glance at what this rep is worth.
Is the best 5711 ? In my opinion, yes, but you have to remember that I'm not bothered by the appearance of the date wheel or by the small mistakes on the movement.
The overall feel that I have for this watch is excellent !
It's not a cheap rep, by far, given that this is only a simple watch in every possible way, you are paying a premium for it being a highly wanted watch. It seems that even with rep you are suffering the economic orientation that Patek Philippe put in place ! Thanks for reading !
Then Jean Adrien Philippe, a French watchmaker, son of a watchmaker, that always worked in the watchmaking industry.
Unknown of the existence of each other, what is known now as Patek Philippe, started in 1839 with the association of Antoine de Patek and the French watchmaker from Czech origin François Czapek.
In 1844 at the Paris Universal Exhibition they met Philippe, freshly awarded for his invention of the first keyless pocket watch, what we know today as the crown winding or manual wind.
Patek & Czapek weren't really on the same page when it came to the future of the brand, Czapek was the head of watchmaking while Patek was leading the sales and the company.
In 1845 what was known as Patek, Czapek & Cie ended, and Patek created with Phillippe and a the Polish lawyer and financier Wincenty Gostkwoski the brand Patek & Cie, later renamed Patek Philippe & Cie after the official association of Patek and Phillippe (formerly only head of watchmaking at Patek & Cie).
It's hard to know what lead to such a history, as right from the start Patek Philippe was aware of what a good public relationship could mean in such a business. But we can speculate that Czapek, a very conservative and classical watchmaker wasn't really pleased with the taste for innovation and the constant search of novelty that Philippe brought to the company.
Today, Patek Philippe is one of the most recognised brands by enthusiasts, with a pretty exclusive market and elite clientele.
Producing around 70 000 watches per years (A little over 1 million for Rolex to give you an example), they keep the market for their watches under close control.
They are one of the few brands being completely independent from any big group and only employ 220 people.
Many of their inventions are responsible for the good health of the watch market today and some of their watches are considered as iconic pieces of the watch world, the one we are interested in today is the :
Mk V5 Patek Philippe 5711/1A-010 As usual, the pictures are reduced & cropped to fit the template of the review, I strongly encourage you to click on them to enjoy the full resolution & details.
Mobile user note : this review will be more pleasant if you look at it in landscape mode.
Some links to the dictionnary of finish and decoration are scattered in the review, click on them to be redirect in a new window to the correct entry.
Technical datasheet from the TD & truth about each one :
If no observation in bold then the information from the seller is either true or unverifiable. Italic bold texts are added informations about the rep. Case: Stainless Steel 316L
Band: Stainless Steel 316L
Movement: Modified Miyota 9015
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date @3
Case width: 40mm
Thickness : 9mm | 9.01 mm (photo proof)
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal (front & back) (front photo proof - back photo proof)
Weight : 125gr (case + bracelet)
About the watch : The rep The gen
Everyone knows something about the Patek Philippe reference 5711, everyone at least knows what the watch look like and I'm guess would be that at least some of them asked themselves, why the name Nautilus ?
I will cut through that like a cubic zirconium on HandjobHasselhof bezel : for the show !
If you dig a bit around the history of the Nautilus, you'll always end up on the same story, its designer, the renowned Gerald Genta, was sat at a restaurant during the 1974 Basel Watch Fair (known as Basel world today) and had the idea of this watch by thinking about an ocean liner porthole, he sketched it on a napkin and voilà, the nautilus was born.
The truth is probably less romantic, at the time of its creation, the market wasn't as calm and controlled between the brands as today, without resorting to talk of it like it was a war (only the cuntrol of the loonie hat in RWG can be qualified as such...) it wasn't a time of peace between the big names, namely two : Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
In 1972 Genta introduced with Audemars Piguet, the revolutionary (for the time) Royal Oak design, a never seen luxury watch in Stainless Steel, at a time where it was harder to justify higher costs to mechanical watches (the Quartz was booming !).
In 1976 the Nautilus entered Patek Philippe line up, with the name being chosen, probably because of the real part of the "legend" the boat porthole and because of its sporting nature and water resistance.
Patek Philippe is often credited with being the one that dared asking a very high price for a sport stainless steel watch, but it's not really fair as the first one to take the plunge were Audemars Piguet but that just show how, right from the beginning, Patek Philippe was able to beat everyone in terms of public relationship and marketing.
The first reference of the Nautilus was the 3700, it was a bigger watch than the actual 5711, with 42 mm in diameter and if you know your history of watch sizes, you know that this was also not common at that time of smaller watches.
It was, however, a thinner watch than its modern incarnation, at 7.6mm.
It was give or take the same design as the modern 5700, same type of dial (sometimes called "Piano" dial), with a rich deep blue colour applied on a white-gold base (got to justify the price). However it was a two hand with only the hours and the minutes.
This reference was produced in various models, with various materials and dial colour until 1990.
The reference 3800 was introduced in 1981 to answer the size problem, as noted before, 42 mm was a very big format at the time, and the 3800 seduced a more classical market, with what we would call today a mid size 37.5 mm.
The other innovation of this reference was the addition of a running central second hand, giving away the change of movement, going from a Jaeger LeCoultre movement in their previous version, to an in-house calibre.
Without going into the various references that only introduced some size and movement variation, we go straight to the reference 3711 introduced in 2004, 14 years after the end of the 3700.
This is an odd one, produced only in full white-gold case, a bit thicker at 9.4mm and at much higher price, the 3711 only stayed on the market for two years before our final subject of interest came : the 5711. Now, can we get to the point, enough of this history channel trivia, you don't even have the voice of Morgan Freeman to help you get through all this pointless detail... (I'm pretty sure you hear him right now ...) Introduced in 2006, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Nautilus series (Should we call it a Nautili ? Where is my spaghetti ?) the 5711 was launched.
Or to be precise the 5711/1A-001 because as you'll see later and to the despise of all the nitpickers out there, the 5711 is not a simple and fully documented watch, at least to the public eye.
Settling at 40 mm (this measurement is always from the bezel, excluding the crown and opposite "ear") and 8.3mm, this is still the measurement of the actual model of the 5711.
There are actually seven variations (at least, documented variations) of the 5711.
- The blue dial under the reference 5711/1A-010
- The white dial under the reference 5711/1A-011
- A very limited (15 made), almost unobtainable platinum edition blue dial under the reference 5711/1P-010
- The 40th anniversary edition, in platinum with baguette diamond hours markers and blue dial, under the reference 5711/1P-011
- The rose gold and brown dial under the reference 5711/1R-001
- The white gold, grey dial and alligator strap, reference 5711G-001
- And lastly the yellow gold, white dial, alligator strap, reference 5711J-001 This review concern the rep of the 5711/1A-010, that if you can get your hands on (waiting list varies from 6 months to 2 years, depending on your AD and your relationship with him, every other absurd number means a polite "fuck off you're not getting one" from the AD) will run you a hefty $30 000 to $40 000.
The case :
Case paragraph = a silly joke about someone, since I'm still waiting for Thommo to finish his watch cabinet (his GEN watch cabinet as it appears to be now) I need to find another target for my jokes... I will see where the wind blows me (or whatever want to blow me ...)
As usual, no way to do a simple testing of what type of steel we are talking about, unless you are very sensitive to metal contact on the skin, since let’s remember that what we call 316L steel like a bunch of wannabe metallurgists, is also better known as surgical steel (it's one of them), a skin reaction whilst wearing this rep would indicate that it's not 316L.
I'm not like that, my wife is, and did not react after wearing it for quite a while so let's admit it is as advertised or that we will accept it as it is (do you have any other choice ?) Talking about sizes (I mentioned having a wife, try to keep up...), the gen is measured at 40 mm (measurement is taken from the over and under the "ears" of the case, at 10 and 4) and is 8.3 mm thick.
The rep is also a perfect 40 mm with the same way of measuring it and is 9.01 mm thick. Why be so precise ? Because I've seen a lot of measurement taken with digital calipers, giving results varying between 8.8mm and 9.3mm, they were all made using cheap digital calipers, that do the job well when you don' really care that much about accuracy to the tenth of a millimetre.
My measurement was made using a micrometer that even it's not from a very high-end brand, is way more accurate than any cheap digital calipers, and is very accurate to the hundredth of a millimetre and still good to a thousand of millimetres.
There are a lot of ways to have different results regarding the diameter of the watch, so I didn't bother using a micrometer on that part.
Now that we got the numbers out of the way, let’s talk about the shape of that case, that shape, so characteristic of Gerald Genta designs, breaking the binary code of the watches being either round or square/rectangular.
I said the shape but should I've used the plural because there are really two features that set this design apart. The first one is the softened octagonal shape of the bezel.
Setting it apart from the sharp angle of his inspirational model the Royal Oak, you can't almost see where the angles are starting, this is due to the combination of finishing used on the whole watch.
The front of the bezel being finished in a brushed metal style and the side being highly polished, this last finish blend the lines of each side of the octagon but the brushed finish allows it to be just enough present.
This bezel is something that will always look different to you depending on the angle you look at it.
Do the test yourself, by googling for some pictures of the 5711 and see that the watch seems to change shape from picture to picture, going from sharp, precise and bulky on certain angles to slim, almost slender and shallow on others.
The next very distinctive feature of the case is what is referred technically as hinges on the side, but what is used to be called "ears".
This element is what really separate this piece from the Royal Oak.
Cleverly disguised as just a case design, those "ears" also serves a very important purpose, they are part of the case design of this watch, as you can see on one of the pictures and closely mimic the function of the, now old, ocean liner of the time, with this construction allowing to tighten the sealing rings against the case.
The left "ear" is, like everything else in this watch, sporting a double finish, one part is in satin finish and the other part is polished.
The right "ear" is where the crown sits and is also both satined and polished around the crown.
Everywhere on the case you'll find this multiple finish, this was done to break the monotony of having only a brushed finish on the whole watch or only a polished finish as it was often the case (not this joke again...) when the first Nautilus was released, on other steel watches.
This was also a reminder on the various and common finish found in the boating world for what is known in French and even in English as the accastillage (Deck fittings). The crown is nicely decorated with the Patek Philippe emblem, known as the Calatrava cross, a spiritual emblem of the Order of Calatrava (Military order from the 12th century, let's not forget Mr Patek own history).
The side of the crown are fluted and softened, to improve the grip without adding a sharp shape to the front or visible part of the case when worn.
The gripping is important, I don't know about the gen as I've never had the change of manipulating one yet, but my fat fingers have a hard time screwing this crown down to press the o-ring against the tube, thanks to the fluting, I manage to seal the crown and ensure at least some moisture resistance (won't call about water resistance as I didn't get the watch tested). The sides of the case are brushed and a slight anglage is done in a classical watchmaking style, with a mirror polish (at least on the gen, but the anglage is so tiny that it's hard to differentiate it from a black polish, very unlikely on both gen and rep) The back of the hints for the first sharp features of the watch. First the six rectangular cut out of the screwed-in caseback are sharp, even though they are rounded, you can't see any anglage done on them, that would reduce their functionality and possibly make the unscrewing tool slip when serviced. The sides of the caseback are polished while the rest of it is satined, but the main feature of this caseback is the large sapphire window, again very reminiscent of a porthole, especially with those six cut out around it.
Both the front crystal and back crystal are sapphire glass, they gave my properly calibrated diamond tester a very quick reading, often associated to higher purity of sapphire or at least a higher quality process of making it (Small note on the methodology of testing in the following FAQ post).
The front crystal is not AR coated, as the gen, it's really a matter of preference there. I think AR coating isn't always a plus to the design of a watch, on very complicated and intricate dial it is nice to have it, on simpler dial design but more sophisticated case design, I think the crystal is part of the overall look. A final note on the case, perhaps you haven't noticed it, but unlike many of the other watches, this one is completely lacking any sort of marking on the case, even on the satined back, adding to the overall simplicity of the timepiece.
The markings are in fact hidden on the inside lip of the caseback, only visible if you open it. The dial :
The dial is perhaps the part of this rep that crystallises the most polarised views.
Without saying that everything is perfect on that dial or on any other 5711 rep, there's a lot that is relying on poor knowledge of how the gen dial really is or should I say, how the gen dials really are.
Let's start with the colour, it's blue (no shit Sherlock...) but it's not any kind of blue, that's all, jobs done.
Now let's talk about the shape of that dial, it's, of course, octagonal, following the shape of the case and it's made of a pattern that some people called "Piano".
Made from alternating lows and highs, forming horizontal lines across the dial, that pattern was done to stay in the marine world and imitate the teak decking of boats. It's done by an embossing from the front (there's no hollowed or extruded part on the back of the dial).
The dial is then given a very light sunray brushing but wait...
You didn't seriously think that I was going to avoid the colour of the dial at all ?
So how is that dial colour compared to gen ? The first thing it to address something that is sometimes missed by people comparing the gen and rep : most of the picture on Patek website and most of the high-resolution pictures are in fact, 3d renders so you may want to set that aside for comparison purposes.
Then we are reviewing the reference 5711/1A-010, those numbers are not only there to make an obscure reference to the watch, the last three numbers are directly related to the dial colour.
The first 5711/1A in blue was under the reference 001 this is the reference 010 (It is a naming convention from Patek, there's not 9 other blue dial variations).
The 001 version of the dial was of a lighter, less deep blue. The 011 refer to the white dial and the reference 1P-010 (platinum version) is another shade of blue, as the 1P-011 (the 40th anniversary version) is again of a different shade of blue.
It's remotely impossible to compare the rep dial with the gen dial, because there are no two dials alike from Patek.
Alongside this rep, come a rep service box, perfect copy of the genuine one, and with that box there are stickers.
The marking on those stickers are on par with the gen (to the exception of the bracelet number that doesn't exist on the gen version, it just says METAL).
One of the markings is the Dial number, a very long reference full of letters and numbers. This relates to the obsession of Patek with traceability and colours. They have a chemical division, dedicated entirely to dial colours and they keep track of every batch and every variation that could be caused by humidity, temperature or other parameters.
So if someone questions the gen-like appearance of your dial, just show them the numbers... (they are not invidiualised for the rep, of course !)
I would say that in comparison to gen pictures, at various angles, there's nothing wrong or off with this dial colour, it would be totally wrong for the 001 but it's close to perfect for the 010.
Depending on how the light hit the dial, it can go from an almost black, transition with a deep blue grey to a sunburst blue in the centre and dark on the outside. The rest of the dial is pretty simple and minimal. The hour markers are perfectly rectangular at 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock (doubled markers here). The other markers have their side the closest to the case, following the curvature of the octagonal shape and aligned with the painted white dots representing the minute markers.
On the gen, there's almost no gap between the two 12 o'clock markers, and on the rep it's the same, depending on how the light hit the dial and markers and your viewing angle, you will have the impression that they are either "glued" to each other, or clearly separated. Everything as on gen. (I'll talk about the alignement of them in the FAQ post)
The hour markers are lumed, and with a white lume, I don't know what the rep makers used, but it's on par to what is usually referred as SuperLuminova C3 as advertised on one of my reps, meaning it's very bright and reactive, that why on certain pics it can appear to have a greenish tint, it indeed has that tint because the luming material is emitting light. Under normal conditions, the markers appear white (the watch was here repeatedly shot with a flash light, charging the luming compound).
On the gen the markers are in white gold, giving them a slightly different shine and hue than on the rep, but nothing you could notice, even side by side. The Patek Philippe Genève text is centred and sits on two stripes, going from edge to edge for the Patek Philippe part of the text. This is as per gen and even if you have the feeling that the text is "bleeding" over-the-top edge, it can also happen on the gen version of the previous dial.
I say previous dial, because there's a catch here, a sneaky move that Patek pulled out this year (2018) and that was discovered at BaselWorld.
Without any notice or change of number, they updated the dial of this reference. Everything is the same, at one exception. The text on the dial is now what is called "boxed" and is equal to the white version of the dial and the platinum version.
If you want to stay true to your lies in your next big boy with big bucks meeting, don't forget to say that you have the pre-2018 version of it, you know, the most desirable one... The hands are characteristic of the Nautilus series, they don't have a specific name, though, but what could be the best way to describe them would be to call them rounded paddle-style hand (paddle-style hand is a thing, look at the Blancpain Bathyscaphe). They are also luminescent with the same colour as the markers.
The second hand is a very simple and thin Patek style kind of hand, you'll find this type of second hand on various other Patek Philippe models.
At the bottom of the dial, there's only the Swiss word, painted in white, right below the 6 o'clock marker.
Lastly, the infamous date window and his date wheel, a recurring fixation point for the nitpickers out there. So how does it compare to the gen on this version ?
The font is correct in his style, no error on that point. However, it's a bit bolder on this Mk V5 than on the genuine and the numbers between 20 and 30 are a bit shorter than on gen, they should take the entire height of the date window, whereas here, they leave a small blank on top and bottom.
On the gen the numbers are raised a bit more, giving them a rounder 3d appearance. This is due to the pad printing process being done multiple times until the desired thickness is achieved.
Be aware that on some pics the date could appear off centred, it's absolutely not the case, but the date wheel being slightly lower on the rep, the casting of the shadow produce this appearance.
It also allows the previous or next number to be seen if you look at the dial at very low angle. The movement : Modified Miyota 9015 Patek 324 SC
And yet another point of tension for the 5711 lover, the look of the movement, because we all know that having an exact clone of a simple date, 3 hand movement is the more important thing !
"Our rep makers will use the same materials and same care to the movement, so that will make a world of difference " ... said no one ever !
The gen movement is the Patek Calibre 324 SC (SC for Seconde Centrale or Central second in English), a 29 jewels automatic, non-hacking, with around 45 hours of power reserve, beating at 28800 bph.
This 324 SC is fitted with a 21-carat gold rotor, winding in a unidirectional way in a counter-clockwise direction.
Size wise, because in this rep, it's all about the size (... make the joke yourself, filthy animal), the gen movement is 27 mm in diameter and only 3.3 mm in thickness.
This movement is found in around 40 Patek Philippe watches. On certain models, the 5711 it has been known for some problem with the date wheel for example, or to the fragile overall feeling that it can sometimes show, but it's considered to be a very good movement. The rep is fitted with a slimed down version of the Miyota 9015, with 24 jewels, automatic, of course, hacking, with around 42 hours of power reserve and beating at 28800 bph.
The rotor is, of course, not gold and although it's also a unidirectional winding mechanism, this one is operating in a clockwise motion.
In terms of size, the accuracy of the original Miyota 9015 allowed the rep maker to make it scary close to the gen measurements. The original is only 3.9 mm thick and 26 mm in diameter.
Shaving some parts without compromising the stability has probably not been an issue, and a simple larger movement ring resolved the size differences with the gen. To make it look like the gen movement, the rep makers have decorated the Miyota 9015 with some fake elements and engravings.
On the gen, you will find some distinctive features, such as the now-famous Patek Philippe hallmark, replacing the Geneva Hallmark.
A note on that part, the Patek Philippe Hallmark replaced the Geneva Hallmark because they felt that the Geneva Hallmark wasn't strict enough and wasn't looking at all the details of a watch. For memory, the Geneva seal is only awarded to watch that follow strict standards of function and finishing of the movement and is awarded by an independent company. Patek switched to their own Hallmark at BaselWorld 2009 after 120 years of collaboration with the Geneva Hallmark company The golden rotor of the watch is sporting a big Calatrava cross engraved on top of a very fine Côte de Genève pattern (as per gen). The pattern is very subtle as it should on the top and is coarser on the side of the rotor, again as it should. The centre of the rotor has a glued fake thin plate on it with a single flat screw head to mimic the appearance of the gen.
Underneath you'll find the regular three screws of the Miyota movement.
Around this fake screw plate, the ring is decorated by small perlage dots, again as per gen. The next big visible thing is the balance bridge or balance cock depending on the terminology you want to use (Pretty sure GingerBlubba will use balance cock...)
On the rep, due to the Miyota movement conception, it's the correct place but wrong position (meaning it's inverted)
So does pretty much everything on the movement in the rep. So if you stumble on a Patek movement specialist and if you allow him to look at the movement, and see him raising an eyebrow... be sure to let him know that you bought this model in Australia...
The balance bridge is of the right shape and with the correct screw placement and decoration (showing the direction for regulating the watch).
The shock absorber system is different on the rep. This is the standard Miyota 9015 shock absorption system, with the square spring.
On the gen you'll find a more traditional Incabloc double cone, with the distinctive Lyre spring in gold colour forming to "W" facing to each other. The regulating organs are different on the gen, traditional Miyota or generic style even. The balance wheel is also different from the gen, being standard on this rep rather than more complicated on the gen.
The rep features the correct decoration on the movement, including the Patek Philippe Hallmark, the use of a golden chaton around some jewels (of course it's fake on the rep). And the Côte de Geneve and perlage pattern everywhere on the movements bridges and plates.
Beside being on opposite sites, the screws, jewels and other decorations are correctly placed and in the same quantity as the gen with the exception of the transmission gear of the reversing wheel that has to be kept and thus introducing a little difference to the look of the movement around that area (misplacing two jewels and lacking one jewel with a shock absorber) On the subject of the markings, the initial QC pics for the pre-release of the watch were showing a blatant mistake in the text, the word "GENEVE" was spelled "CENEVE" missing a bar to turn a "C" in a "G" (works with all kinds of swear words, try it).
It's been corrected on every QC pics of this watch that I was able to see. However there are still two mistakes, albeit some small ones, the world COLD has an incorrectly formed "D" making it look like "COLO" and the word "ADJUSTED" is misspelled as "ADJUSETD"
For the nitpicker out there (and I know they'll read this review, yeah, I'm THAT popular !) there's a difference in the quality of finish of the movement, of course, the anglage is lousy and the result of an automated CNC work and, of course, the engraving are done with a spinning endmill rather than with a classic engraving tool.
Looking at it with a microscope clearly shows the milling marks and the lack of bevelling on the engravings.
But this will not be noticed, even by you, with your bare eyes. The strap & buckle :
And another big point of complaints from some people : the bracelet ! This one isn't focused on something silly for once !
Let's address it immediately and we will get back to it in the FAQ section following this review.
For larger wrist, let’s say for any wrist over 6.5" (16,5cm) this focusing point isn't a big deal. But for small wrists (looking at you "Baby Wrist Logixa"...) the flexibility of the first links is a key feature on the watch.
This beautiful timepiece is conceived to hug the wrist tightly to keep a low profile and elegant curve.
If the first links are not flexible enough and rub against each other, a weird gap will form and that will make you look like an idiot, or that's what I heard...
Frankly, you don't have to worry here, as this MK v5 isn't suffering from that defect and is as flexible as required. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s look at the bracelet from a technical point of view. It features three types of steel finishing : Satined on the front side links ; High polish on the centre link and Brushed on the back and side of the links.
On the first link, on its back, you'll find one of the rare marking featured on the exterior watch (the others being on the clasp). A384EBP is not a serial number but an identification serial for the bracelet. A is for Acier (Steel) 384 is the identification number of the 5711 Nautilus and EBP is referring to the pin method of fixing the links from 2014. It would have been EAC between 2012 and 2014. BDP from the screwed version in 2011.
Yes, the links are pined (regular pins, not split pins), usually not liked by the high end watch consumers but without having any concrete information on that, it is believed that Patek did that to ensure proper care and adjustment of the watch at their service centre. It is a bit reaching if you ask me, as it's unlikely that this type of watch would go anywhere else than in a Patek certified centre, and if not, this wouldn't hurt Patek economy a lot. So there's probably another reason, that is unknown. The comfort of this bracelet is fantastic, this is due to the link being flat on the inside and not reproducing the curvature found on the other side.
The clasp is a double deployant style with a securing tab on top of it. You are in no danger of losing the watch with those three securities.
And gen Patek owners of certain batches are thankful for that ! If you do a little googling with those words "Patek Nautilus clasp problem" you'll find some interesting results of people complaining and showing (there's a video on YouTube) how the clasp is easily popped open without anything more than a tension of the wrist.
The worst part about it ? According to those same gen owner, Patek don't cover it and won't offer a replacement for it... That's where you remember the Patek Philippe Hallmark supposed to award an outstanding quality of construction of the whole watch.
But you are cleverer than that, you didn't bother waiting for a gen that you'll never get, you choose the rep route, and that allows you to have, with this MK v5 a perfectly solid clasp closure.
This is done by having (as everything is the same on the gen) on each side of the deployant clasp, two tabs that fit inside each other (as seen on following pics) by friction.
The securing tab is then closed on top of that and secured by the friction of two ceramic balls on each side.
On my rep, one of these ceramic balls is too recessed inside the bracelet and do not make contact with the securing clasp, allowing it to be open without a lot of effort which is a good thing considering that some people report having a very hard to open securing clasp.
If that were to happen to you, it's probably an easy fix as those ceramic balls are glued in place, a little heat should allow you to replace them or a competent watchmaker could do it for you to adjust the tension.
In regards to the look of the clasp, you will find the Patek Philippe Geneve text engraved on the inside of it.
The Calatrava cross is embellishing the securing clasp, perfectly in the centre and without any tool mark visible (same for the inside text engraving, a very well-done job). My overall impression & Some beauty shots : Being my longest review to date, this section is certainly important and will allow those easily bothered by my content (but they probably won't read that either) to have a quick glance at what this rep is worth.
Is the best 5711 ? In my opinion, yes, but you have to remember that I'm not bothered by the appearance of the date wheel or by the small mistakes on the movement.
The overall feel that I have for this watch is excellent !
It's not a cheap rep, by far, given that this is only a simple watch in every possible way, you are paying a premium for it being a highly wanted watch. It seems that even with rep you are suffering the economic orientation that Patek Philippe put in place ! Thanks for reading !
