Watch Paparazzi

Model Mariano Di Vaio spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Mariano Di Vaio, the Florentine model turned multi-platform fashion entrepreneur, was recently spotted wearing one of the most quietly coveted references in modern watchmaking: the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1R-001 in 18K rose gold with a chocolate-brown dial. For a figure who has built an entire brand around effortless Italian style, the choice feels entirely deliberate.

The Nautilus 5711 traces its lineage directly to Gerald Genta's 1976 original — the ref. 3700 — commissioned by Patek Philippe as a luxury sports watch at a moment when the industry was skeptical such a thing could exist. The 5711 generation, introduced in 2006, refined the concept with a 40mm case, a sapphire caseback, and the in-house Caliber 324 S C movement: a self-winding manufacture ebauche beating at 28,800 vph with a 45-hour power reserve and Patek's hallmark finishing throughout. The 5711/1R variant substitutes the far more common stainless steel for an 18K rose gold case and integrated bracelet, and swaps the blue or black dials for a rich brown sunburst — a combination that reads warm and dressy without sacrificing the watch's inherent sportiness.

Among collectors, the 5711/1R-001 occupies an interesting position. It never generated the frantic secondary-market hysteria of the steel 5711/1A — which at its peak traded above $150,000 on the grey market — yet its production volumes were substantially lower and its attrition rate on the resale market is correspondingly modest. Serious collectors regard it as the more sophisticated, less speculative choice within the 5711 family. Patek discontinued the entire 5711 line in 2021, replaced by the 5726A Annual Calendar, which only amplified demand across all references.

Di Vaio, who counts millions of followers across Instagram and YouTube and co-founded the NDG fashion group, regularly surfaces wearing significant timepieces. The Nautilus 5711/1R-001 at an official retail of approximately $51,000 is not his most extravagant sighting, but it may be his most horologically astute.

On the grey market, post-discontinuation demand has kept the 5711/1R trading meaningfully above retail, though the premium is narrower than the steel reference. Buyers seeking one today are looking at north of $80,000 from reputable pre-owned dealers — a strong argument that Di Vaio's wrist is also a reasonably sound asset allocation.