Patek Philippe’s Nautilus collection has been around since 1976. The watch was designed by renowned designer Gerald Genta, who is also famous for designing other popular luxury watches like the Royal Oak of Audemars Piguet.
The Patek Philippe Nautilus has an iconic octagonal bezel with rounded edges, a horizontally-embossed dial, and an integrated steel bracelet.
Because Patek Philippe is a luxury watch brand, not everyone can afford the hefty price tags. A Nautilus, which could be considered one of the most popular, most expensive, and most sought-after sports watches in the world, is very difficult to obtain, with years (to decades) long waiting lists.
A Nautilus model from Bob’s Watches, for instance, costs nearly $60,000. The value of the Nautilus has increased greatly in recent years, nearly doubling in value in less than a decade. According to Chrono24, a Nautilus in mint condition could cost around $52,000 today.
This article will feature watches that are similar to a Nautilus watch but are way more affordable. There are models that are still on the luxury range but are still relatively cheaper in comparison to the Nautilus.
Table of Contents
11 Best Affordable Patek Philippe Nautilus Alternatives
Perry Ellis Men’s Watch Decagon
Perry Ellis is a fashion brand known for men’s clothes and sportswear. The brand has a wide range of products—clothing, shoes, accessories, and watches.
This Perry Ellis Decagon watch, which has a Japanese quartz movement, has the same decagon style as the Nautilus. The blue dial and case material is stainless steel and is water-resistant up to 100m. The watch also has a date display at 6 o’clock and has luminous markers.
This style has a number of versions, so you’ll have a lot to choose from: there’s one with a dark brown dial and a leather strap, and another with a black leather strap (there is a model on Amazon that’s bundled with a Bluetooth smartwatch). All of these models are priced at around $100.
These watches could be placed under the fashion watch category. If you’d like to learn about other fashion watches, check out the different brands that we featured here.
Mercer Concorde
Mercer Goods is an American brand that makes custom items like wallets and watches. One of the brand’s watch lines includes the Mercer Concorde, which has a similar silhouette as the Nautilus.
This is a big watch, having a 43mm case, but the flattering dimensions allow it to be worn by different wrist sizes. The Concorde has a Miyoya 9039 automatic movement that has a flat sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. It also has a solid caseback and has up to 200m of water resistance.
The Concorde watches have three dial options: white, blue, and black. Customers can also choose between a rubber strap and a stainless steel mesh bracelet.
The brand’s watches are available on their official website (see the list of the Concorde collection and other available watches here), and have a couple of other sporty models for sale on eBay, such as the Mercer Voyager II.
Seiko 5 Men’s SNKK47 Automatic
The Seiko 5 series is one of the brands’ most popular sub-brands. This line, which has been around since the 1960s, is composed of sporty mechanical watches—the “5” stand for five key attributes: an automatic winding, a day/date display, water resistance, display caseback, and a durable steel case and bracelet.
The Seiko 5 SNKK47 is an automatic watch with a stainless steel case and bracelet, a hardlex crystal dial window, and luminous hands and markers. This model has received excellent reviews from customers, with many praising the legibility and accuracy of the movement.
This a good watch to consider if you’re looking for something that has the same sporty and elegant look as the Nautilus. The Seiko 5 line is considered a good entry-level automatic watch, so this is a good model to consider if you’re just starting out with a collection.
Another similar option is the Seiko 5 SNKK52, which is gold-tone stainless steel with a day/date window at 3 o’clock. This model has an exhibition case back and water resistance to 30m.
You can read more about Seiko here.
Knut Gadd Decagon
Knut Gadd is a Swedish heritage watch brand. The company, which is run by the Gadd family, has been doing design and since 1916. The watches are inspired by vintage designs and are all designed in Stockholm.
One of the brand’s best-selling models is the Knut Gadd Decagon, a stainless steel watch that combines a casual, simple, and elegant look so it’s perfect for everyday wear. The clean lines and neat design reflect the Scandinavian aesthetic, making the watch easy to match with any outfit.
This watch, which has an attractive embossed dial, is 38mm with a Japanese quartz movement and a facet-cut mineral crystal glass. The water resistance is up to 50m.
Aside from the excellent watch designs, the thing that continues to make the brand popular is the affordable price tag. As of posting time, the Decagon watch costs €179, which is around $200.
All Knut Gadd watches can be purchased on the brand’s official website.
Manchester Watch Works Morgan
Manchester Watch Works is a young American watch brand. Founded in 2013 by watch collector and watchmaker Douglas Kim, who believed that one can have high-quality, exclusive, and attainable watches.
The company designs all its watches in-house, customizing the components to their own specifications; and has Japanese or Swiss-manufactured movements that were carefully selected for accuracy.
The Manchester Watch Works Morgan Chronograph is a 60s-inspired 40mm watch that the company released in 2016 under a Kickstarter campaign, where customers can enjoy a no high-end markup. Customers will choose an amount to pledge, and they will get a Morgan model of their choice. Higher pledges will give customers savings, as well as add-ons like straps.
The watch, which has three color options is powered by an Isaswiss 8371C Swiss chronograph movement, with up to five years of battery life. Other features include luminous hour markers and a beveled sapphire crystal with an inner anti-reflective coating. Customers can also choose between a dial with or without a date window.
Piaget Polo S
This watch by Swiss luxury watchmaker Piaget is another brand that’s often compared to the Nautilus because of the similarity in design.
The Polo S is a 42mm watch with a steel case and an alligator-skin strap. The dial is designed with horizontal lines, with applied luminescent hour markers Dauphine hands, and a date window at 6 o’clock. It has a sapphire crystal case back, which shows the Piaget 1110P Manufacture self-winding movement.
The Piaget Polo S comes in a number of versions (chronograph, with diamonds) and dial colors (green, blue, gray, white). One of the most well-reviewed models is the Piaget Polo S Chronograph.
This is another below-$10,000 luxury watch that has been on the Piaget catalog since the late 1970s and became one of the brand’s most popular model in the 1980s. An article by Hodinkee mentions that the sales of the Polo watch made up one-third of the brand’s watch sales.
Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium
The Hublot Classic Fusion Blue Titanium watch is a 45mm watch (other available sizes include 42, 38, and 33mm) with a polished titanium case and bezel, and a blue sunray dial with rhodium-plated hands. This model has a self-winding movement (HUB1112), with up to 42 hours of power reserve.
Hublot is known for experimenting with different materials used in its watches, including in-house metals.
This does not look like the Nautilus, but both luxury watches share the same sporty and sophisticated look. The Fusion line has a number of colors available, like Titanium Opalin, Titanium Green, and Racing Grey.
Glashütte Original Senator Seventies Panorama
Glashütte Original is a German watchmaker that has been around since 1845. The brand is known for its high-quality and precise movements and in-house dials.
The Glashutte Seventies Panorama Date watch, which was released in the 1970s, is known to be modeled after Gerald Genta’s design. This is why this is one of the most common models that are often compared to Nautilus.
The case and four-link bracelet have polished and satin-brushed stainless steel, and hands are coated with SuperLuminova for extra legibility. The watch runs on a Glashütte Original manufactory movement—an article by Hodinkee mentions how this is an excellent deal for less than $10,000.
This line has other variations such as the Chronograph Panorama Date models, which are available in blue and silver dials.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm
Girard-Perregaux is a Swiss watch company that has been around since 1971.
This Girard-Perregaux Laureato is a 42mm polished octagonal-shaped watch with a stainless steel case and an integrated bracelet. This was first introduced in the 1970s, this watch has the same sport and classic watch with an in-house manufactured mechanical movement (GP01800-0013) with a minimum power reserve of an impressive 54 hours. The blue dial has a “Clou de Paris” pattern, as well as a date window at 3 o’clock.
Another notable thing about the Laurearo models is that they have different sizes to choose from (34mm, 38mm, 42mm, and 44mm), making it easy for customers to pick the best size for their wrist.
The brand’s Laureato collection is a comeback watch that was released in 2016. The limited-edition release was in line with the celebration of Girard-Perregaux’s 225 years of watchmaking. The release was a success, and the company later introduced a “contemporary watch combining progressive, unique design with a feeling for detail, excellent timing capacity, and perfect taste.”
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Dual Time
Audemars Piguet is another luxury watch brand. This model—the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watch—costs over $15,000, so it has a relatively lower price than a Nautilus model. Like the Nautilus model, this watch was also designed by Genta.
Like the Nautilus, this 39mm stainless steel watch with a glare-proofed sapphire crystal has an elegant and sporty look. It has a second-time zone, a day and night indicator, and white gold applied hour markers and luminous Royal Oak hands. This watch has the iconic “Grande Tapisserie” pattern on a striking blue dial, and a blue alligator strap with a stainless steel folding clasp.
The Royal Oak Offshore has is powered by calibre 2329 / 2846, with 38 hours of power reserve. This one’s also recommended for travelers, because of the dual time zone feature.
We also wrote an article on Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Alternatives here.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas
The Vacheron Constantin Overseas watches—such as the Overseas Dual Time caliber 5110 DT—is by no means cheap, but you can get one that’s about half the price of a Nautilus. This self-winding 41mm watch has a stainless steel case and a power reserve of 60 hours.
This watch displays a second time zone and has day/night and date features. It has anti-magnetic properties and is water-resistant to 150 meters. Many reviews of this model recommend the watch to those looking for a luxury timepiece that can be used when traveling, because of the second time zone feature, and the casual yet elegant design.
This comes with three types of straps: an alligator, rubber, and stainless steel. Dial color options also include blue and black.
