Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph Ref. 5990 Buying Guide



When most people think of the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the classic time and date version usually comes to mind first. When legendary swiss replica watches designer Gerald Genta first created the Nautilus in 1976, the only complication he incorporated into his design was a date display. However, the Nautilus has now expanded into an entire family of timepieces offering a variety of complications, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph (Ref. 5990) is firmly among them, combining the brand's signature dual time zone complication with a flyback chronograph and presenting it in a larger, chunkier case in the brand's signature Genta design.

About the Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph Ref. 5990
While the Nautilus itself has been around since the mid-1970s, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5990 is a relatively new addition to the brand’s lineup, having debuted in 2014 as a more sophisticated sibling to the standard Nautilus chronograph. Originally available only in stainless steel with a black gradient dial (ref. 5990/1A-001), the first major update to the Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph family came in 2021, when Patek Philippe introduced an 18k solid rose gold version of the model with a blue sunburst dial and a matching rose gold bracelet (ref. 5990/1R-001).

However, both models were only available simultaneously for a short time, with Patek Philippe discontinuing the stainless steel Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph 5990/1A-001 the following year (2022). With that in mind, just a few months later, the stainless steel model returned to the lineup in the form of the ref. 5990/1A-011, though it now featured a blue sunburst dial with the same radial gradient effect as its black-dialed predecessor. As of December 2023, Patek Philippe continues to produce both blue-dialed versions of the reference 5990 Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph, though examples of the discontinued black-dialed model can still be found on the secondary market.