Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 3800

Straight Facts

The Nautilus - another Gerald Genta horological icon. Sibling to the Royal Oak - and conductor of the Hype Train. Now that we have that out of the way, how did a brand like Patek Philippe get so famous for a steel time-only watch? Well, by accident. The Stern family, which still owns Patek, was constantly being asked back in the late 60s to make a steel sports watch. It turns out that loyal collectors of the brand who would buy their high complication watches and precious metal dress pieces had become so loyal to Patek - that they would only wear wristwatches from the illustrious brand. Not one to disappoint their well-heeled clientele, Gerald Genta was commissioned to design a sports watch worthy of the Patek name. Much like the Royal Oak, the steel case was treated to a wide variety of complex finishing techniques normally reserved for precious metals. While this was a sports piece, it was still to be a Patek Philippe above all else. Unlike the far more rugged Royal Oak, the Nautilus has gentler curves - and certainly no exposed bolts or rivets (can you imagine!). While the Nautilus was originally released in ‘Jumbo’ 39mm size, they eventually rolled out a series of mid-size, and ladies-sized wristwatches for the family. This present example is a 3800 mid-size, featuring the signature blue tapestry dial. At 37mm case size is perfect for a wide variety of wrists and comes complete with an Extract of the Archives from Patek. Furthermore, and appealing to our love of vintage, this watch still uses a tritium dial and handset which will age beautifully through the years - and you will have this watch for many, many years. After all, you never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.

*Some marks or spots on the dial are reflections or dust on the crystal and are due to high intensity strobe lighting used while photographing. They are not actually on the watch or visible in natural lighting.