The Patek Philippe Nautilus
Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700/1A / Credit: FratelloWatches
The release of the Patek Philippe Nautilus may have seemed like a Vernian hoax in 1976 if not for the Royal Oak. At the time, the concept of luxury sports watches was in a nascent phase, the Royal Oak’s disruption had created a new category in the market and watch executives everywhere sought to replicate Audermar Piguet’s massive success, especially their rival Patek Philippe.
Patek Philippe commissioned Gerald Genta, the same designer as that of the Royal Oak, to design a luxury sports watch. The design of the Nautilus was inspired by the porthole, like that of old ocean liners, which in retrospect feels extremely appropriate. The first Patek Philippe Nautilus, the 3700/1A, stood out from any other watch in Patek Philippe’s production line, whose sportiest watches at the time were chronographs; they rarely even used steel as most of their pieces were made in precious metals. A very similar situation to the one Audemars Piguet faced only four years before.
The Nautilus 3700/1A featured simple time telling and date functions, a black dial with horizontal grooves, and was 100m water resistant. Very practical for its intended use. The movement was a Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 920, as third-party movements were still popular at the time, and featured a Patek Gyromax balance. 1998 was the first time Patek Philippe introduced a complication (apart from the date function) to the Nautilus. The ref. 3710 featured a réserve du marche, roman numerals, the ‘jumbo’ case, and an in-house movement.
Since those early days the Patek Philippe Nautilus has become an icon, today featuring complications such as the chronograph and the moonphase, including a wide variety of case sizes, metals, and even jewels. Although many other brands have tried to compete in the luxury sports watch category, the Nautilus, together with its cousin the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, continue to stand in a class of their own. We can only watch as these two great models continue to develop…and hope to pick one up for ourselves.