Television presenter Ellen spotted wearing a Patek Philippe

Ellen DeGeneres was photographed wearing a stainless steel Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A, one of the more technically layered references in a lineup that already carries considerable prestige. The sighting adds DeGeneres to a growing roster of entertainment figures who have moved beyond entry-level luxury into genuinely complicated horology.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A sits at the intersection of the brand's iconic sports-watch aesthetic and its centuries-old complication mastery. The 40mm stainless steel case follows the signature porthole-inspired octagonal bezel first conceived by Gerald Genta for Patek in 1976. Inside runs the automatic Calibre 240 PS IRM C LU — a micro-rotor movement measuring just 3.88mm in height. It delivers a 48-hour power reserve, a peripheral instantaneous jumping date, a power reserve indicator, and the moonphase complication Patek calibrates to lose only one day against the lunar cycle every 122 years. That is not a marketing claim; it reflects a gear train calculated to 135 teeth driving the moon disc.

From a collector standpoint, the Nautilus 5712/1A occupies a specific and coveted position. It offers genuine complication depth without the size inflation that plagues many moon phase watches, and it does so in steel — historically the hardest Patek Philippe configuration to acquire at retail. The reference was introduced in 2006 and has been a fixture on waitlists ever since. Grey market premiums have remained stubborn even as the broader watch market softened post-2022.

DeGeneres has demonstrated consistent horological taste over the years, favouring watches that carry intellectual weight rather than purely decorative value. The Nautilus 5712/1A suits that sensibility precisely: it reads as a sports watch casually, but rewards anyone who looks at the dial carefully enough to register the moon phase aperture and the dual subdials arranged at six and ten o'clock.

At UK list price of approximately £34,610, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A was already a significant purchase. On the grey market, stainless steel examples of the 5712/1A have historically traded between $80,000 and $120,000 USD depending on condition, papers, and timing — a premium that underscores just how seriously the market takes this reference.