As one of the hottest watches these days, it seems natural for Patek Philippe to ride on the?wave of success by introducing new references of the iconic Nautilus. Last year, we saw the introduction of the Perpetual Calendar 5740G model, the most complex piece in the collection. This year, its little brother, the Annual Calendar 5726 is under the loupe, with the steel-on-steel model getting a new gradient blue dial (and the grey dial being discontinued).While most collectors (or even the not-that-hardcore watch enthusiasts) have the 3-hand 5711 and the deliberately unbalanced 5712 in mind when thinking about the Nautilus, there’s also another reference that is available in stainless steel – certainly the less “collectable” of the three, the Annual Calendar reference 5726/1A. It was time to give this model a small update and to shine the spotlight on it. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Until now, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Annual Calendar 5726/1A was only available with a grey dial – whether on a steel bracelet or leather strap. While the latter still appears on Patek’s website, the one on a steel bracelet seems to be discontinued. However, there’s a successor, the new reference 5726-1A-014 and its trendy gradient blue dial.The main update regards the introduction of a blue gradient dial. The colour ranges from bright blue to a much darker blue on the periphery of the dial. This effect is en vogue these days and Patek has been using it quite regularly on its watches. The result is nevertheless desirable and gives this model a fresher look. The rest of the watch is identical to previous references. The steel case, satin-finished and polished, retains its 40.5mm diameter and its integrated bracelet with foldover clasp. The dial has a balanced layout, with central H-M-S, day and month at 12 o’clock and a sub-dial at 6 o’clock with moon phases, a date in a window and a 24-hour indication on the periphery. The calendar used here is “annual”, meaning that only one correction is required per year.Powering this Patek Philippe Nautilus Annual Calendar 5726/1A Gradient Blue is the well-known automatic calibre 324 with a calendar module. It is visible through the caseback with its 21k gold rotor and refined decoration – all approved by the Patek Philippe Seal.The Patek Philippe Nautilus Annual Calendar Gradient Blue 5726-1A-014 replaces the grey dial in the collection and will be priced at EUR 41,320. More at Patek.com.