On the December 2 episode of ABC’s Shark Tank, Kevin O’Leary and the other sharks had an opportunity to meet the real Santa.
When Kevin O’Leary, the self-dubbed “Mr. Wonderful” got a chance to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas, he confidently said: “the Patek Philippe 7511 blue face, it’s an extremely rare watch.” First, our ears perked up when we heard the words Patek Philippe uttered on national television. But then, what the hell was he talking about?
We’re familiar with the 2006 update to the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Reference 5711. The original version sports the blue, horizontally embossed dial that Mr. Wonderful seemed to be referring to. It retails for $29,800, but good luck finding it at an authorized dealer (even if you’re Mr. Wonderful, apparently). It regularly trades for prices above $40,000 on the secondary market. Rare indeed, as Mr. Wonderful said. This time, we’ll forgive Mr. Wonderful’s slip of the tongue, though any decent watch collector should probably know one of the most coveted modern reference numbers.
Mr. O’Leary is a well-known watch collector, and can be proudly seen wearing his Panerai Luminor Base Accaio on nearly every episode of Shark Tank. What’s most on display is his signature red leather alligator strap, a strap he buys for every watch in his collection. I for one, would love to see how a red leather strap would fit onto a Nautilus. So here’s to hoping you get what you asked for this Christmas, Mr. O’Leary, the Patek Philippe 5711.
Kevin O’Leary showing off his Panerai Luminor Base.