The Patek Philippe Nautilus- Timeless Prized Possession

The Patek Philippe Nautilus is a watch that, explicitly defines the mutual feeling of watch admirers from all over the world. It is one of the coolest watches ever made, there is arguably no other luxury watch that can match the majesty. The launch in 1976 completely changed the ‘luxury sports watch genre’ The historic Swiss watch brand boosted the stakes even further by creating it in steel. Although it was not the first luxury sports watch to be made in stainless steel (that’s a record held by the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak,) it was the costliest. Yes, that’s right! Patek Philippe priced its new steel sports watch more than its competitors of that time. The most amazing fact to acknowledge is that “steel” was considered taboo in the watchmaking industry back then. And, for those who do not know, brands like Rolex, Omega, and Breitling did manufacture steel watches but they were not considered luxury articles back then. Instead, they were touted as tool watches.

Glimpse Into The Rich Past-The Patek Philippe Nautilus

Since 1976, Patek Philippe is keeping up with its promise of delivering elegant and diverse timepieces. Each Patek Philippe watch is handmade, Amongst all the other well-loved watches, Patek Philippe Nautilus stands out as one of the most iconic watches ever.

The precise story behind the creation is as impressive as the watch itself. Patek Philippe Nautilus is designed by Gérald Genta, the same guy who framed the Audemars Piguet- Royal Oak.

The design of the watch was inspired by a ship’s porthole. The inspiration came to Genta one day when he was having dinner at a local restaurant. It is said that it only took him 5-6 minutes to draw the sketch. Little did he know that his design would hold a singular and awe-inspiring spot in the industry.

It was a tough business to construct something new while preserving the traditions, and there it was; the first eye-catching watch came under the ref- 3700.

The size of the watch was ahead of it’s time. The diameter was 42 mm, very close to the rival, the Royal Oak. however, The Nautulus was popular as the ‘worlds high-cost watch’ that was made with steel.

Early Days

The Patek Philippe Nautilus, just as it’s rival Royal Oak by AP, took very little time in gaining popularity in the market. The demand for the watches at the beginning was rather slow. However, this soon changed when the brand launched the ladies “Nautilus along with a Quartz movement. Later on, another addition got introduced in the form of a men’s watch under reference. 3800. As soon as these timpeieces hit the demand, the prior references were given the name JUMBO in 1996.

Another variant of Nautilus came in the year 2005, under a ref. 3712. By this time, the brand got succeeded in making the Nautilus a holy symbol in the whole watch making franchise.

A New Era For The Nautilus

In 2006, when the Nautilus turned 30 years and celebrated the anniversary with numerous launches. The brand decided to revamp the case designs and shape with slight changes. The edges got a bit curved with smother outlines. The case back was now transparent with a three-piece case setup. The updated bracelet design and visible movement made the watch look striking and modern.

Same year, another model got introduced, Nautilus under the ref. 5711, 43 mm. This model out-performed the original watch by a single milimeter. The new giant Nautilus was fueled by the calibre 315 and an oscillating weight that was centrally scaled.

Although in many ways, it reflected the original ref. 3700, however, in actuality it was better than the original one. The year also saw the advent of the new Nautilus Chronograph powered by the in-house manufactured calibre 28-520C. The watch, Ref. 5980 was the first-ever in the collection to feature a chronograph without any other complications.

Present Day

In current times, The Patek Philippe deals with five series that illustrates the whole collection. The first one is Ref. 3711, the traditional evergreen three-hand model that comes in a stainless stell case with steel bracelet.

The next one if Ref. 5712, another watch with steel case but with a modified power display and moon phase. This model is available in gold, white and rose gold. It has an automatic movement, calibre 240 PS IRM that comes with a mini-rotor. ( Yes, that how this brand name it’s movements- unique from others)

Third in the collection, ref 5726 has the most amazing features. It has a proficient annual calendar that shows the day of the week, month and ofcourse, a date display.The moon phase also features an integrated 24-hour display.

The fourth, Ref. 5980 is the Nautilus Chronograph that comes with the automatic movement 28-520C. The fifth and final series, Ref. 5990 is the collection’s flagship series. The Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph is truly one of a kind. Powered by the in-house manufactured CH 28-520 C FUS automatic movement, the watch has a stopwatch display for minutes as well as seconds. The watch also features local as well as home times.