Thierry Stern has clearly stated that they don’t want the brand to be synonymous with a certain design or line, it being the Nautilus or the Aquanaut or any other, for that matter. That is protecting the long term value of Patek Philippe and the right thing to do. Some watches suddenly get popular. I remember in 2010 a 5711 sitting in the window of a Copenhagen retailer - you could walk right in and buy it. I also remember in 2007, talking to a kind sales lady in the Patek Salon in Geneve about the 5070. She said it was impossible to sell those watches in the first years. Nobody liked them and then suddenly they where out of stock everywhere and it was the hottest thing to have. When the 5070P came in the end, it was sold out pretty much over night, and they did NOT increase supply either. And look at the prices for that watch now. It is completely crazy. It’s a nice watch and I would like one, but the price is bizarre , for what it is, absolutely not worth it... Talking about over hyped...Good for those who get one but also good for Patek - in the long run. They don’t milk a success and a Patek can be many kinds of watches...
Yesterday, I got an invitation from Patek. And focus now at the moment, seems on pushing the Ellipse. A great watch, with a great design, and a genuine Patek classic. I would love to see that become as popular as the Nautilus....