Watch Paparazzi

Actor Sanjay Dutt spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Sanjay Dutt, one of Hindi cinema's most enduring and recognised faces, was recently photographed wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph in 18K rose gold — reference 5980R — a watch that demands attention from any serious collector. The sighting adds another meaningful data point to Dutt's well-documented affinity for high-end timepieces, and this particular choice is far from a casual one.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980R represents the chronograph pinnacle of the Nautilus family. Introduced in 2006, it was the first Nautilus to incorporate a flyback chronograph complication, and doing so within the model's characteristically lean 40mm case was a genuine engineering achievement. The movement inside is the manufacture caliber CH 28-520 C, a self-winding flyback chronograph beating at 28,800 vph with a 45-to-55 hour power reserve. Crucially, the dial integrates the chronograph subdials — 60-second running seconds at 6 o'clock and a 30-minute counter at 12 — into the signature horizontal embossed pattern without disturbing the visual balance Genta originally conceived. In rose gold, the warm indices and applied hour markers give the 5980R a dress-watch warmth that the steel variants cannot replicate.

Among collectors, the 5980R occupies rarefied ground. Rose gold Nautilus chronographs carry significantly shorter production runs than stainless steel references, and the 5980R in any metal has been discontinued, making surviving examples increasingly scarce on the secondary market. The integrated bracelet, finished with alternating polished and brushed links that mirror the case beveling, remains one of the most technically demanding bracelets in Swiss watchmaking. Ownership signals not just spending power but genuine horological literacy.

Sanjay Dutt's personal history is as layered as the movement inside this watch — a career spanning four decades, from Rocky in 1981 to a resurgent present, interrupted and ultimately defined by personal adversity. His public appearances consistently feature watches from the upper tier of the market, and the 5980R fits that pattern precisely: understated in silhouette, exceptional in execution.

On the market, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980R carries a UK list price of approximately £65,110. On the grey market, discontinued rose gold Nautilus references routinely command substantial premiums above retail, with the 5980R currently trading in the $90,000–$110,000 USD range depending on condition, box, and papers.