Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Another Bullseye by Patek! THE Nautilus 5980/1a

After I had a chance previously to closely examine and enjoy the lovely 5960p it was about time for some playtime with its Nautilus brethren - 5980/1A .







IMO aesthetically I do prefer the annual calendar case shape and that lovely charcoal dial tone yet I find a better harmonization of balanced design with the single subdial Chrono in the Nautilus case.







Another difference I also noticed is how they inverted the color combo on the outer ring of the subdial and the center of the dial is now color matching the rest of the dial all IMHO contributing to the better aesthetics.







The movement is the same column wheel principle chrono in the same level of finishing as its larger sibling.







Same goes for a well fitted and sturdy constructed bracelet that fits almost like a luxurious piece of jewelry.







The Chrono rectangular yet oval shaped pushers are well placed under a 45% angle in both upper/lower right hand corner separated by a protruding crown. The execution is fine and the pushers have a firm yet solid feel once pressed.







The overall height and weight of the piece is slightly larger then a comparable 5712 Nautilus cousin very much akin to difference between Rolex Sub and Sea dweller.







I rather like the way the hands are all in the same style especially the way H/M hands are matching the hour indices.







The one thing I don’t care about is the date and its 3 o’clock positioning yet I certainly understand the need for it in this sporty piece.







Once one gets over the “atypical” Chrono time display it really does make more sense then an ordinary but cluttered 3 or classic 2 subdial chronometry representation. In fact after a week on ones wrist one might conclude it is actually an optimal way to represent & measure the passage of time.







Overall I found 5980 to be a very pleasurable watch for daily wear which certainly is evident by the enormous global demand making it a bonified hard to obtain piece.







Personally I have never been a fan of Nautilus or other related Genta’s designed creations yet find this model to be unexplainably rocking to its own tune.







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Daily thoughts, musings & interests about anything (mostly horology) that currently makes my soul & grey matter tick.