The Stainless Steel Sports Watch—What Comes Next?

Following the recent discontinuation of Patek Philippe’s Nautilus 5711 and the iterating of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak 15202—both iconic stainless steel sports watches—one question is besetting collectors and investors alike: what comes next? 

Audemars Piguet’s immutable 39mm Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin and Patek Philippe’s three-hands-and-date Nautilus have long commanded the attention of collectors, watch manufacturers, and the market. A couple of retailers let slip that no more of the latter would be made, and social media did the rest. That was in January 2021. Why such a fuss? 

The Patek Philippe catalog still lists some 25 other Nautilus references, and as with any model, catalog listings come and go all the time. But here’s the thing: the model in question is the collection’s bestseller, the 5711/1A-010 stainless steel version with a blue dial—a timepiece that ignites passion, thus tending to overshadow other Nautiluses and the rest of the Patek Philippe range.

That’s precisely what these Royal Oak and Nautilus models have in common: they hog the limelight. Inadvertently, they’ve become the subject of uncontrolled—and indeed uncontrollable—speculation, overshadowing similar models in the process and focusing all attention paid to their respective brands onto a single reference, hiding the wood with a single tree, as it were. Now, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe (two of the three brands that set the course for the watchmaking market, along with Rolex) have decided that enough is enough.

Thus, it’s worthwhile taking a closer look at other brands with sports watch models, as the segment has expanded considerably over the past 45 years. 

Vacheron Constantin Overseas

A historic firm that ranks highly alongside industry giants is Vacheron Constantin; the 33-reference Overseas collection is one of their most sought-after. It underwent an extensive redesign in 2016, the final flourish of Juan-Carlos Torres as the firm’s then CEO. The perfectly managed collection boasts a manufacture movement and a design firmly rooted in several decades’ worth of styling. There is, however, a certain lack of interest on the part of collectors, resulting in prices that aren’t very high (relatively speaking).

Conversely, that’s exactly what makes an Overseas attractive buy right now—although admittedly, Vacheron Constantin itself pays limited attention to the collection, preferring to concentrate on its Patrimony and Traditionnelle lines (with 36 and 50 references respectively), deemed to embody the firm’s highly traditional ethos. In recent years, the firm has also been pushing its Fiftysix collection (12 references), as it seeks to address persistent market demand for neo-vintage models.

Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato

Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato is another collection to keep an eye on. Its main strength is also its greatest weakness: from an aesthetic and temporal point of view, it’s very close to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak. However, the Laureato recently underwent an impressive overhaul during Antonio Calce’s time at the helm: its yellow gold components, moderate diameter, and blue dial were revisited and the watch’s overall design was considerably refined, giving it a much-needed contemporary touch.

Chopard Alpine Eagle

The Alpine Eagle from Chopard is another collection of this ilk to look out for. There can be no doubt that this timepiece bears all the hallmarks of the sports watch—screw bezel, colored guilloche dials, integrated strap, and all-pervasive steel—and its 100% in-house movement is an undeniable advantage. Still, it lacks the continuity of the Royal Oak; the model  was first created in 1980, only to be forgotten and then relaunched in 2019. Its revival smacks somewhat of opportunism; should that be held against it? Only time will tell.

Laurent Ferrier’s Tourbillon Grand Sport and Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda GT

Sportier collections that deserve to be mentioned are Laurent Ferrier’s Tourbillon Grand Sport—though its tourbillon makes it a bit of an oddity—and Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda GT, a magnificent collection featuring fluted bezels and exquisite finishes, for collectors willing to take roads less traveled.

H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner

Somewhat on the margins of these long-established firms, H. Moser & Cie. has successfully carved out a niche with its Streamliner collection in record time. Is this just a passing phase? It’s hard to tell. As things stand, you must be prepared to wait around a year to get your hands on a Streamliner. That may seem quick compared to the seven to ten years needed to acquire a Nautilus from Patek Philippe’s legacy collection, but it’s a long time for a timepiece that’s only two years old, from a fully independent manufacturer.

Czapek Antarctique

Despite being an even smaller firm, Czapek’s performance—in the space of fewer than ten years—is also impressive, with the brand’s Antarctique Passage De Drake collection already bearing witness to remarkable aesthetic and technical maturity. The three-hands-and-date timepieces bring together all style marks of a sports watch, from the ‘full steel’ variation to the integrated strap, not forgetting the guilloche dial—echoing the ‘Tapisserie’ pattern to be found on most Royal Oak references and the ribbed dial of a Nautilus.