Watch Paparazzi

Singer Ed Sheeran spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Ed Sheeran turned up for a Radio Deejay interview wearing what is arguably the single most talked-about sports watch of the last decade: the Patek Philippe Nautilus reference 5711/1A-010 in stainless steel with a blue dial. Low-key as the setting may have been, the watch on his wrist represents one of the most dramatic market stories in modern horology.

The Nautilus 5711/1A-010 is Gerald Genta's 1976 design carried into the modern era. The reference runs Patek's Calibre 324 S C, a self-winding movement with a 45-hour power reserve, beating at 28,800 vph, and offering hours, minutes, seconds, and a date. The case measures 40mm across and just 8.3mm thick — remarkably slim for an automatic — and is water-resistant to 120 metres. The horizontally embossed blue sunburst dial, protected by a sapphire crystal, remains one of the most imitated surfaces in watchmaking. Integrated bracelet, octagonal bezel with rounded lugs: the proportions have barely changed in nearly fifty years.

Patek Philippe announced the discontinuation of the 5711/1A-010 in early 2021, citing a desire to reduce dependence on a single reference. The effect was immediate and violent: grey-market premiums, already substantial, became almost surreal. A piece that retailed at roughly $34,000 was selling at auction for north of $280,000. The 5711 had already become the benchmark by which the broader steel sports watch market was measured; its exit from production transformed it into a collector's relic almost overnight.

Ed Sheeran is a known watch enthusiast with a collection that spans multiple high-end references. Spotting the 5711/1A-010 on his wrist at a radio appearance — rather than a red carpet — suggests genuine daily wear rather than performance dressing, which is precisely how a Nautilus was always meant to be used.

On the market today, authenticated examples of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-010 in unworn or near-mint condition command prices well into six figures on the secondary market. For a watch with a four-digit retail tag in the early 1980s, the trajectory is extraordinary. Whether prices stabilise around the incoming 5726A or continue climbing remains the central question in collector circles — but Sheeran's wrist time adds one more data point to the legend.