Did Patek Philippe Just Start the Next Big Trend in Watches?

Patek Philippe is widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious watchmaker. The family-owned Geneva-based brand doesn’t often let loose or get casual. But when it does, look out, because it usually signifies a shift in the luxury watch landscape. See the debut of the Aquanaut on its black composite rubber strap in 1997 for proof.

Now, three decades after the Aquanaut, Patek is once again turning heads with it unexpected choice of strap. The brand has launched a pair of complicated white gold watches in white gold — a Nautilus Chronograph and a special World Time — on what appear to be straps made of denim. But, as is usually the case with Patek, there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface.

Denim Crafted from Leather

Patek’s new straps are indistinguishable from cotton denim, but they’re made from calfskin leather.Patek Philippe

The new Patek strap looks just like the material you’d find on your favorite jean jacket. It’s blue, has a twill weave and features white stitching. It’s even soft to the touch and feels like denim. But here’s the thing: the strap isn’t made of denim or even cotton at all. It’s in fact a calfskin leather strap that’s been embossed with a denim pattern and hand-stitched. Having handled the watches in person, I can confidently say that no one would know these are made from leather if they weren’t told so directly.

A Blue Nautilus Hype Machine

Every time Patek comes out with a blue-dial Nautilus, well-connected watch flippers start seeing dollar signs. This latest model is sure to be a hype monster, as not only does it come on the unique denim-style strap, but it’s also the first white gold Nautilus Chronograph in Patek’s collection, with only rose gold and a rose gold two-tone.

On top of that, the white gold case combined with the opaline blue-gray dial gives the watch that classic Nautilus look, best exemplified by the gone-but-not-forgotten stainless steel reference 5711. And since the 5711 and its white-gold follow-up the 5811 have been highly sought-after by collectors for years, I expect this new ref. 5980/60G to have similarly sky-high demand.

A Very Special World Time

The denim-effect strap is joined by a “carbon” motif on the dial, making for a casual combo.Photo by Jack Seemer

Patek is no stranger to the world timer complication, having created its first World Time watch all the way back in 1939. But its latest example does something that no other World Time in the brand’s permanent collection does: It has a date. The ref. 5330G-10 debuted last year at the Watch Art Tokyo event as a very limited edition only available in Japan. That watch featured a purple dial and was sold on a traditional alligator strap.

The new ref. 5330G-001 features the same Caliber 240 HU C as the Tokyo watch, which utilizes a glass hand to indicate the date on the outer edge of the dial for an unobtrusive look. The denim-effect strap certainly increases the casual style of this decidedly non-casual watch, as does the dial itself. Patek has chosen to outfit the center of the dial with its sporty “carbon” motif, borrowed from the sporty Calatrava 6007G the brand introduced at Watches and Wonders last year.

One More Release for the Hype Machine

The Aquanaut Travel Time is back, this time in white gold.Patek Philippe

The two denim-strapped watches will almost certainly grab the most headlines out of all Patek releases at this year’s show (they grabbed this one, after all), but one more under-the-radar release should also generate plenty of hype once word gets out.

That watch is the Aquanaut Travel Time, which is now available in white gold for the first time. Recently, the stainless steel version of the same watch became a hype monster in its own right, filling the void left by the discontinuation of the 5711 Nautilus in 2022. But Patek recently discontinued that watch too (much to the chagrin of myself and many others), and now it’s followed up just like it did with the Nautilus by launching a (much more expensive) white gold version.

Will Denim Straps Catch on?

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen denim-style straps on a luxury watch. Omega has offered the Railmaster on a denim strap for years. But the Railmaster is hardly a top seller for Omega, and is a casual watch anyway. Patek putting straps that look like they were made by Levi’s on a pair of complicated white gold watches aimed at high-rolling collectors is a different matter entirely.

Given how other brands like to emulate Patek, I suspect we’ll start to see more denim and denim-effect straps moving forward. It’s a good thing jeans go with everything.