Patek Philippe Nautilus

When Patek Philippe presented the Nautilus in 1976, the company pushed the boundaries of conventional luxury watches. A sporty, stainless steel watch was completely new for them. The Nautilus was controversial in its first few years, but has since developed into one of the most iconic and sought-after watches of all time. Its design remains largely unchanged even today. It still has an octagonal bezel with rounded edges and a stainless steel bracelet made of satin-brushed and polished links. The porthole design was inspired by the submarine (also called the "Nautilus") in Jules Vernes' famous novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."

Instead of a classic guilloché, Patek Philippe chose a horizontal relief on the dial, giving the watch a sportier, maritime touch. The luminescent baton indices also contribute to the Nautilus' sporty flair, as do the luminous hands for the hours and minutes.

Gérald Genta designed this watch. The designer, who had previously worked for Omega, also created Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak, which debuted in 1972. Genta presented Patek Philippe with his ideas for a steel sports watch in 1974. Two years later, they had finally agreed on the design for the first Nautilus with reference number 3700. Before 1976, Patek had only offered classic watches in precious metals. In addition to the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, Genta also designed the IWC Ingenieur ref. 1832 from the late 1970s.

Introduced in the mid-1970s, the 42-mm case diameter caused quite a stir and led to the watch's nickname, "Jumbo." At the time, case sizes around 36 mm were the norm. The Nautilus's case construction was also novel, as it comprised two pieces: the bezel and a monocoque body. Usually, manufacturers use a three-piece case construction consisting of the case back, midsection, and bezel. The Nautilus's case only had one hole for the winding stem, and the bezel was pressed on. There was also a seal between the monocoque and the bezel. Together, these elements guaranteed water resistance to 120 m (12 bar, 394 ft).

Patek Philippe used the caliber 28-255 C based on a movement from Jaeger-LeCoultre. At the time, the movement was considered one of the thinnest automatic calibers at 3.15 mm. It also had a date display at 3 o'clock.

Since the early 1980s, there have been many different versions of the Patek Philippe Nautilus released. The model with the reference number 3800, a mid-sized, 37.5-mm wristwatch, is available in solid gold, platinum, or a two-tone mix of steel and gold. When Patek temporarily stopped producing the larger Nautilus in the early 1990s, the 3800 became their only sports watch.

In the mid-1990s, Patek Philippe introduced the gold ref. 5060. This was the first Nautilus to come on a leather strap. Its lugs were also new and lent the watch an elegant touch. This watch was the inspiration behind Patek's second sports watch, the Aquanaut.

In 1998, Patek Philippe reissued the large Nautilus. The reference number 3710/1A has a power reserve indicator below 12 o'clock and Roman numeral hour markers. In the mid-2000s, this model was also available in 18-karat white gold with a sapphire crystal back.

At the same time, Patek launched the most intricate version of the Nautilus to date. It features a pointer date, power reserve indicator, and moon phase display. The caliber 240 PS IRM C LU powers the watch. Today, these complicated watches are among the most sought-after collector's items. You can find them under the reference number 3712/1A.

In 2006, the Nautilus celebrated its 30th birthday. The company took the opportunity to quietly refine parts of the timepiece. The sides became slightly domed, and the width of the reference number 5711/1A increased slightly to 43 mm (from side to side). Measured diagonally from 10 to 4 o'clock, this watch is 40 mm across.

In 2020, Patek CEO Thierry Stern announced that they would stop production of the 5711 series at the end of 2021. At the same time, he promised a successor model, which came to fruition with the release of the ref. 5811/1G in the fall of 2022.