Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Nusret Gökçe Saltbae spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Nusret Gökçe — the Turkish chef and entrepreneur better known to the internet as 'Salt Bae' — was recently photographed casually checking the time on one of the most encrusted references in Patek Philippe's active catalogue. The watch on his wrist is the Nautilus 5719/10G, a piece that manages to be simultaneously one of the brand's most flamboyant and most technically serious offerings.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5719/10G is built on the iconic Gerald Genta-designed Nautilus case introduced in 1976, here executed in 18k white gold. Patek's own gem-setters apply 1,343 brilliant-cut diamonds alongside 185 baguette-cut diamonds across the case, lugs, bezel, dial, and integrated bracelet links — a process that demands hundreds of hours of in-house work and is executed exclusively at the manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates. The movement inside is Calibre 324 S C, a self-winding mechanical manufacture calibre beating at 28,800 vph with a 45-hour power reserve and displaying hours, minutes, seconds, and date. Despite the gem-setting spectacle on the exterior, Patek makes no concessions on the mechanical foundation.

From a collector standpoint, the 5719/10G occupies a specific niche: it appeals neither to the purist who chases complications nor to the minimalist who prizes the original steel 5711, but rather to a buyer for whom the Nautilus silhouette is a starting point and full factory diamond-setting is the destination. Patek controls this product category tightly. The 5719 family has existed in various iterations since the early 2000s, and white gold with full pave remains one of the rarest and most requested configurations — waitlists at authorized dealers are essentially a formality for most customers.

Nusret Gökçe built his global brand on theatrical presentation — the salt sprinkle, the gold-leaf steaks, the destinations from Miami to Dubai to Istanbul. His personal aesthetic has consistently tracked toward conspicuous, high-craft luxury, and the 5719/10G fits that profile without requiring any explanation.

At an official list price of approximately $470,000, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5719/10G already commands a premium over most complications from other maisons. On the secondary market, current grey-market valuations place the reference at approximately $600,000, reflecting sustained demand and near-zero authorized dealer availability. For a watch that is already a factory art object, that premium is unlikely to compress in the near term.