Watch Paparazzi

Baseball player Alex Rodriquez spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Alex Rodriguez — retired MLB superstar, businessman, and committed watch collector — was recently spotted on the wrist with one of the most quietly desirable references in contemporary horology: the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711R in 18K rose gold. While A-Rod's collection is known to run deep, the 5711R is a statement even by his standards.

The Nautilus 5711R shares its architecture with the legendary 5711/1A but executes it in 18K rose gold, measuring 40mm across with the signature horizontally embossed brown gradient dial and integrated bracelet. Beneath the sapphire display back sits the calibre 324 S C — a self-winding movement with a 45-hour power reserve, oscillating at 28,800 vph, and finished to Patek's rigorous internal standards with Geneva stripes and beveled bridges. The case retains the original Genta-penned porthole aesthetic, with polished and satin-finished surfaces alternating across the bezel and integrated lugs.

The entire Nautilus 5711 family was officially discontinued by Patek Philippe in 2021, a decision announced alongside the debut of the Tiffany-dial 5711/1A. That exit from production transformed an already tight secondary market into something close to frenzied. The 5711R was always the rarer, less-discussed sibling to the steel reference — produced in genuinely limited annual quantities — and its warm rose gold execution appeals to collectors who want the horological pedigree without the ubiquity of the grey-market steel version.

Rodriguez has long maintained a high-profile watch collection befitting his post-playing career as an entrepreneur and media personality. The 5711R fits his profile precisely: it reads as understated to the uninformed but signals deep familiarity with the market to anyone who recognizes it. Choosing the rose gold Nautilus over the steel variant suggests a collector buying for personal taste rather than social currency.

At retail, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711R carried a list price in the region of $43,000–$45,000 USD before discontinuation. On the grey market today, with the full 5711 line retired and supply fixed permanently, examples regularly trade between $90,000 and $120,000 USD depending on condition, box, and papers — a reflection of enduring demand for one of the twentieth century's great watch designs.