When Mr Wang handed us a 5712/1A-001 in Beijing, the first thing he asked was not the price but what standard a discontinued reference is priced against. He had heard the line that "discontinued means it loses value", and worried that with less information in circulation an offer would be easy for one party to hold down. Before doing anything he took a free valuation and brought the range into the boutique to compare against. More than how high the figure was, he wanted to understand where it came from.
WatchesBeijing
Patek Philippe Nautilus sold for CNY 720,000 — Beijing watch buy-back case, August 2026
At a glance
Final price
CNY 720,000
- City
- Beijing
- List price when discontinued
- CNY 460,900 (xbiao.com, 2026-09)
The figure on this page is what this particular transaction settled at. It reflects the house, the model, the condition, how complete the accessories were and the market at the time, and is not a quoted price for a comparable piece.
The client
The model and the market
The Nautilus arrived in 1976 with its porthole case and integrated bracelet, the watershed at which Patek Philippe turned from dress watches to sports watches. The 5712/1A-001 launched in 2006: on a black-and-blue gradient dial, the moonphase, date and power reserve sit in three separate places, an asymmetric arrangement uncommon in the series. Among Nautilus references it had a relatively long production run, and since production ended the float in circulation has thinned year by year.
The reference left the house catalogue in early 2025 and has no current list price. Its list price before discontinuation was about CNY 460,900 (xbiao.com record, September 2026). Discontinued references are led by how many survive and the state of the actual piece, and bear no equivalence to the old list price.
There is no single formula for a watch. The house and the model draw the baseline, condition and accessories add to or subtract from it, and the market at the time decides the landing point; between two of the same reference you still look at case diameter, material, dial and generation.
How this price was set
Mr Wang’s watch finally took a buy-back price of CNY 720,000, held up by three things. The reference is out of production, nothing is being added after the last batch, and the comparable pieces available on the market shrink each year. The dial is the black-and-blue gradient particular to the 5712, distinguishable from a base three-hander at a glance. And it carries a moonphase, calendar and power reserve, with more components and more assembly work than a base reference.
As a steel Nautilus, enquiries have consistently concentrated on it, so the material has not lowered its standing. At 40mm the case also falls in the usual range for the series.
The price was not ours to set — it came from trade buyers bidding in the same window on the platform. The offer sheet was spread out for Mr Wang line by line, and which one to take was his to say. Watch buy-back covers Patek Philippe’s core references; what this one is worth follows the market at the time, and the purchase price is no reference here. (Market figures reflect publicly available data.)
What we did
Competitive buy-back
The watch goes onto the bidding platform and trade buyers across the country bid live at the same time. The offer sheet is open for you to choose from, and the number is formed by market bidding
Watch authentication
An appraiser team of more than a hundred. Every item is signed off by three of them, and each check is recorded line by line and photographed
Credentials
Named in 2025 to the first cohort of pre-owned goods circulation pilot enterprises by MOFCOM, the NDRC, the Ministry of Natural Resources and SAMR; in 2019 Vintage-Privée entered a three-way strategic partnership with CCIC (China Certification & Inspection Group) and Alibaba.
Settlement
Payment goes out as soon as an offer is accepted. Nothing is charged if you walk away
How it ran
1
Talk to an advisor
Set out the reference and how long you have owned it online first, and we run the model and its line through
2
Free valuation
A reference range at no charge, calculated from the house, the model and the condition
3
Book a viewing
Fix a time at the boutique; if coming in is difficult, a home visit or shipping both work
4
Appraiser check
Authenticity and external condition checked item by item, with the record synced straight to the bidding platform
5
Trade bidding
Buyers bid at the same time and the complete offer sheet is open to Mr Wang
6
Settlement
He picked one from the offers, and the money landed on the day he signed
Questions about this case
What can a Patek Philippe 5712/1A-001 sell for now?
This one sold in Beijing in August 2026 at CNY 720,000. Buy-back prices for the reference move with condition and how complete the accessories are, and rest finally on the in-person check.
How is a discontinued watch valued — will it be marked down?
Discontinued does not mean cheap; the valuation is led by the state of the actual piece. A discontinued reference is priced on how many survive, its condition and demand at the time, not on the old list price. So long as the offer can be compared side by side, there is no room for one party to hold it down. Price differences between production batches of the same reference usually come from condition, accessories and whether parts have been replaced — normal variation between individual watches, not a change in how we value them.
Where can I sell a Patek Philippe in Beijing?
In Beijing you can submit a watch in the boutique, by home visit or by post, with the same quoting process for each, and book whichever is nearest. The Beijing boutiques are in Chaoyang, Haidian, Xicheng and other districts. Calling ahead to book is worth doing.
Is there a charge for watch buy-back? Is anything deducted if I do not sell?
Authentication is free for private sellers and nothing is charged whether or not a sale happens. A watch that does not sell is returned as it was.
Start with what yours is worth
Free online valuation. Nothing to pay if you decide not to sell.