On 28th J🦂anuary 2022, New York watch collector and young horology enthusiast Zach Lu () became the unlikely owner of the first-ever limited edition Tiffany Nautilus Ref. 5711 in an unexpected coup that Zach has called “the greatest moment in [his] collector journey.
Although Zach Lu owns several coveted timepieces, including the Patek Ref. 2499 1st Series and the Patek 6002R, the Tiffany Nautilus’ singularity is sacrosent. This limited edition was released as the crowning glory of Patek flagship steel Nautilus pieces, and will be the🅺 last of its kind before the Nautilus is retired for good. Further, Patek only promised 170 of these swan song pieces to Tiffany & Co. boutiques in Beverly Hills, San Francisco and New York, prompting furious outcries frꦍom envious watch collectors in Europe and Asia. And its lure results from the model unusual Tiffany Blue dial and rare co-signing by both Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. in celebration of their 170 year-long partnership. Zach notes that this watch one of a kind elements coalesce to “transcend boundaries” previously established on horology luxury stage and represents the “golden trifecta of luxury” by “bringing together Patek, Tiffany and LVMH”. He admires the watch again and adds “I really couldn’t ask for anything more’.
When Patek Phillippe unexpectedly put the first Tiffany Nautilus under the hammer during the December 2021 auction hosted in the Phillips Auction House in New York, Zach Lu decided to break his typical auction anonymity and trend of bidding by phone. He marked the momentous occasion by “pushing [himself] from his comfort zone” and physically gracing the auction room. He knew he badly wanted to possess the 5711, but he shocked even himself when he responded to the rabid fight for the Nautilus by abandoning his✱ original commitment of only bidding for $3-4 million, and shouted for $5.1 million. Despite his dogged in-person pursuit, Zach eventually lost the auction to a $6.5 million bid, inclusive of commission compensation, and left the room to assuage his disappointment with a solitary cigarette.
One of the most fortuitous encounters in Zach Lu horology odyssey occurred during his consolatory smoke. High Management at Tiffany & Co. saw Zach standing alone ♑and used the opportunity to personally thank him for his support at the auction. Although somewhat starstruck, Zach thought nothing of the meeting beyond the gratification he felt at briefly speaking to luxury brand stalwarts. But six weeks later, Zach received an email from Tiffany. The original Tiffany Nautilus buyer had to bail on his transaction for personal reasons. Management had remembered the young smoker yearning for the Nautilus. Patek and Tiffany had felt that Zach buying history with Patek was the strongest among the remaining underbidders. They thought Zach Lu deserved the watch.
Patek gavethe weekend t🍌o think over whether or not he still wanted the watch, but only an hour after their discussion, Zach texted the word “Oui”. He wanted the first of the swan song Nautilus.
Zach Lu commoroated his quest for the steel blue 5711 on his instagram page, where he frequently tells the world about his latest acquisition. Despite trudging home without the Tiffany blue dial on the day of the auction, Zach posted the photograph that accompanied Hodinkee coverage of the auction. Standing near the specialists manning phone-bidding in the image, Zach enthusiastically calls out a new bid. He calls the picture “a cool image” and acknowledges that attending in-person was “fun” despite his loss. Six weeks later, he shared a video featuring Paul Boutros, the Head of Americas and Senior Vice President for Phi♏llips Watches who unboxed the Tiffany Nautilus and handed it Lu, with reverent hands. A few days later, he posted again thanking Tiffany personnel. And since his acquisition images of a continuing relationship with Tiffany Management have interspersed a feed filled with Zach own wrist sporting Tiffany Blue. “This opens up the door for me to Tiffany America, Tiffany Patek… a long relationship with Phillips, Patek, and Tiffany among others,” he admitted. And indeed the Tiffany Nautilus comes with significant prestige. Zach acknowledged how special the watch truly is in the caption of his unboxing video. He simply titled it, “The one.”
