The Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5990/1A was released back in 2014 and since then it’s been one of my favorite Nautilus references. It brings the best in design and functionality by combining a Travel Time function that indicates the time in two different time zones with a 60-minute chronograph and a date indicator. With a retail price right under $60K at $59,140 USD, this is another one of those Pateks that has gone out of control in the secondary market. With six-figure asking prices in the $110,000 to $125,000 USD price range, the 5990 is now established as the third hardest to get Nautilus reference after the 5711/1A and the 5980/1A. And when it comes to triple sealed BNIB examples I’ve seen listings north of $140K USD.
Some of the reasons why the 5990/1A is so coveted include the fact that the watch is only available in stainless steel, it combines three functions in one watch and the watch is simply stunning. Its generous case measuring 40.5 mm in diameter and the black gradated dial —more of a grayish color— with white transfers give this watch a monochromatic look that goes well with everything. Even though, the 5990/1A wasn’t a very popular reference in the past couple of years, the scarcity of Patek Philippe sports models has positioned this ‘sleeper’ in the realm of five-figure watches turned into six-figure watches.
For a few months now, I’ve been writing about the secondary market and how prices continue to climb instead of seeing the so called ‘bubble’ finally bursting. Today, just as I do every week, I went through several watch fora ‘For Sale listings’, eBay and Chrono24 to see how prices were doing and to my surprise the pricing craziness keeps getting crazier. Never in my wildest dreams I would’ve imagined that the Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph would reach this price.
After talking to several of the top secondary market dealers, and after making a thorough price trend analysis, my educated guess is that the Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5990/1A will settle right around $130K USD give or take. None of my friends believes that it could surpass the $130K USD mark but who knows, I mean Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin are now selling north of $65K USD.
Today, all references with the iconic Nautilus hinged case are all over the place in terms of pricing and while 5712s and 5726s have settled comfortably right under the $100K USD mark, 5980s in stainless steel are at around $125K USD.
I know many of you would think that I am crazy for forecasting that the 5990/1A will continue to climb in price and surpass the 5980/1A but honestly, the 5990/1A has been a ‘sleeper watch’ for a while. Due to its low demand in the past the watch has been produced in limited quantities and I think that this reference is one that might get discontinued in the near future. I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens, and if I am bluffing, please call me out.
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