Head to head A Detailed Comparison, Patek Philippe Nautilus 3712 vs 5712

The Patek Philippe Nautilus is arguably one of the most famous sports watches, launched in 1976, exactly four years after the Royal Oak. Both iconic watches were designed by the legendary Gérald Genta.

The first Nautilus introduced was the renowned 3700/1A in steel, with "A" standing for "Acier," which means steel in French. The 3700/1A is a simple time-and-date watch, introduced as the market began recovering from the quartz crisis.

Until the late 1990s, the Nautilus line did not offer complicated watches. However, in 2005, Patek Philippe introduced one of the most famous watches in their history, the 3712, which was produced for only one year before being replaced by the 5712, a historical edition of the Nautilus collection. While these two watches use the same movement and may look similar at first glance, the 3712A and the 5712A have many differences, which will be explained in this article.

Let's start with the case. The Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3712 features a two-piece case, a push-down crown, a case width of 42mm, and a thinner profile at 8.37mm. Its case design at 3 and 9 o'clock is straight. In contrast, the Nautilus ref. 5712 includes a three-piece case construction, a screw-down crown, a slightly larger 43mm case width, and a slightly thicker profile at 8.52mm. Its case at 3 and 9 o'clock is shaped differently, enhancing its distinct visual presence.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5712/1A-001 in stainless steel is fitted with a gorgeous black-blue dial with a unique hue. Like all other Nautilus models, the dial features the horizontally embossed Nautilus pattern accentuated with ten applied luminous hour markers in 18K white gold. The layout includes a power reserve indicator at 10 o'clock, a snailed date indicator with moon phases between 6 and 9 o'clock, and a running seconds subdial at 4 o'clock.

When taking a closer look at the Nautilus ref. 3712, it is easy to recognize it against the ref. 5712 based on certain nuances on the dial. Here are the main differences:

*Edit: Regarding this difference, one of our followers alerted us that there are some newer versions of the 3712 with four points on the power reserve indicator, which is supposed to be a feature of the 5712 version.

The image below is taken from Christie's auction website for a 3712 with four dots, which sold for $150,000 in 2021.

• On ref. 5712, the power reserve indicator includes four red dots before the number '12' instead of only three on ref. 3712.
• The numbers on the date indicator are considerably bigger on the ref. 5712. Also, on ref. 3712, the numbers from '11' through '23' are inverted, which is no longer the case on the newer ref. 5712.
• The dial on ref. 5712 includes only ten markers vs. eleven markers on ref. 3712, which includes a marker at 7 o'clock. Additionally, the marker at 8 o'clock is slightly longer on the dial of ref. 3712, and the 6 o'clock marker is complete, unlike the one on ref. 5712, which is slightly cut by the date indicator.
• The color of the moon and stars on the moon phase disc of ref. 5712 is more of a gold color rather than the dark silver on ref. 3712.
• The hour and minute hands are thinner on ref. 5712.
• The dial of ref. 3712 has a more grayish-blue hue.

Both the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712 and 3712 are powered by the Patek Philippe automatic caliber 240 PS IRM C LU—where the acronym stands for Petite Seconde, Indicateur de Réserve de Marche, Calendrier, and Phases de Lune. This movement features an off-centered 22K gold mini-rotor, is composed of 265 parts, 29 jewels, and a Gyromax balance. It provides a power reserve of 48 hours when fully wound, operating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz). The calibre is beautifully finished with the classical Patek touches and is fully visible via the display case back.

The bracelet is exquisitely finished with satin brushed outer links and highly polished center links, featuring the Nautilus fold-over clasp with a safety lock. While the center links of the bracelet are more rounded in the 3712, they appear more square in the 5712, highlighting a subtle but distinct design variation between the two models.

While both versions are considered icons in this category, version 3712 is rarer because the company produced it for only one year. Version 5712 is still displayed on the company’s official website and is available for order from their official agents, and its price is 51,260 US dollars, equivalent to 190,000 Emirati dollars.

For more information, please visit the officهal website of Patek Philippe.

The article was edited.