A watch in the clouds? A look at the appeal of the Patek Philippe Nautilus, a watch you'll want to own at least once

Patek Philippe is considered one of the most prestigious watch brands among watch enthusiasts. Although this watch brand is not well known in Japan, it is widely recognized in top business settings and around the world.

Among all the Patek Philippe models, we will explain the appeal of the Nautilus, one of its flagship models, in a way that even beginners to watches can understand.

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Patek Philippe, the watch lover's dream

Before we get into the Nautilus, let's first briefly review the Patek Philippe brand.
Patek Philippe is a luxury watch manufacturer that is counted among the three major watch brands in the world .

The inside of a watch is made up of extremely complex mechanisms, and the skills to make them are not available to everyone; they require many years of experience and training.

Therefore, many watch manufacturers, even luxury brands, outsource their complicated mechanisms. Rolex, which is also famous in Japan, currently produces its own mechanisms in-house, but until recently, it used to use the internal mechanisms of other watch brands.

Patek Philippe is a brand that has stuck to the method of manufacturing everything in-house . A manufacturer like this is called a manufacture, and Patek Philippe is one of the few manufacturers still in existence.

What is Patek Philippe's flagship product, the Nautilus?

The Nautilus is the flagship line of Patek Philippe, a world-renowned manufacture.

At the time, the emergence of battery-powered watches (quartz watches) had caused damage to all Swiss mechanical watch brands. The Nautilus, Patek Philippe's first sports watch, was so revolutionary that it was later said to have saved the history of mechanical watches.

The allure of the Patek Philippe Nautilus

The Appeal of the Nautilus #1: A Work by the "Best Genius Watch Designer of the 20th Century"

The Nautilus was designed by Gerald Genta, who would later be called "the greatest watch designer of the 20th century."

While luxury watch brands typically use a lot of precious metals such as gold, the Nautilus uses stainless steel, which is rare among luxury brands .

The combination of Patek Philippe and stainless steel was revolutionary at the time.

This masterpiece changed the perception of stainless steel among luxury watch brands at the time.

Just because it is made of stainless steel does not give it a cheap impression, and while it has the elegance that is typical of Patek Philippe, its flawless design caused a stir in the industry along with Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak, which was released at the same time.

The Nautilus was designed to go well with both wetsuits and tuxedos. Marine sports were popular in the 1970s, so the Nautilus, which was released in 1976, fit the times well, which may have been one of the reasons for its increased sales.

Nautilus's appeal #2: A design based on the porthole of a submarine

The name Nautilus is said to come from the name of Captain Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus, which appears in the classic science fiction novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." The design is based on the image of the small windows (portholes) on the gunwales of this submarine.

That said, this is a world found only in novels, and has not been visualized as it is today, so the design was most likely conceived by Gerald Genta.

Inspired by the waterproof opening and closing system of ocean-going steamship windows, the design is also highly waterproof , as it is fitted with the same waterproofing system as steamship windows.

Nautilus's charm ③ Distinctive ear design

The distinctive feature of the Nautilus is the protruding parts on the left and right sides called ears. These are the most prominent features of the Nautilus and are also necessary for the waterproofing mentioned earlier.

The reason why they focused so much on waterproofing may be because the Nautilus was originally planned by Philippe Stern, Honorary Chairman of Patek Philippe and a marine sports enthusiast.

Although the original inspiration came from submarine portholes and the waterproofness of steamships, the Honorary Chairman's influence in marine sports was likely a major factor in its development.

The result was the Nautilus's most distinctive feature, the lugs, and a design beloved by watch enthusiasts to this day .

Nautilus's flagship model: worth knowing about

Although Nautilus has not released the same model for many years, at first glance they all give the same impression.

Here we will introduce some of the most popular models of the Nautilus. Please take a look at the differences between the Nautilus models.

Nautilus 3700/1A

Source: item.rakuten.co.jp

The Ref. 3700/1A is the first model of the Nautilus . It is also called the Nautilus First Jumbo because of its 42mm case size.

Although the Nautilus is hugely popular today, it was too avant-garde at the time and production of the model was quickly discontinued.

However, considering that the list price at the time was around 1.6 million yen and it is now trading for around 8 million yen, it has quite a premium.

Nautilus 3800/1A

This model was on sale from 1981 to 2005, and was available in a variety of material combinations, including yellow gold, diamonds, and platinum .

The case size is 38mm, making it smaller than the original.

Small watches are currently attracting attention, so they are being traded at high value in the market.

The item we have in stock is the stainless steel and yellow gold combination model of the Nautilus 3800. The combination of a white matte dial with Roman numerals is very rare, and you probably won't see it very often. Stainless steel models of the Nautilus, including the medium size, have been rising in price in recent years, so I think the combination model is still a good buy.

Nautilus 5711/1A

The Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A is the current Nautilus model, which has been in production since 1976 .
This model is very rare and difficult to find even at authorized stores. The price is more than twice the list price, which shows that the popularity of the Nautilus is still going strong.

In order to ensure high water resistance, the Nautilus had a two-piece structure in which the bezel, back cover and case were integrated into one piece, but the Ref. 5711/1A model has been changed to a three-piece structure in which the bezel, back cover and case are all separate.

Gerald Genda originally created a two-piece structure to achieve a thin, waterproof design, but the watch is still just 8.3mm thin, making it a product that shows the progress of technology.

Due to its waterproof structure, ears are no longer necessary on this model, but it still gives us a glimpse of the importance of the Nautilus ear design .

Nautilus 5712/1A

This model, commonly known as "Petit Computer," was released in 2006.

Among the Nautilus models, this one stands out for being equipped with a moon phase display (a function that shows the phases of the moon) and a power reserve display .

This unique expression still makes it very popular.

The item we have in stock at our store is the white gold model of the "Petit Con." It is a model with a leather strap and an elegant gold case. The stainless steel models of the Nautilus have been rising in price in recent years, so I think the 18KWG model is a good choice.

Nautilus 5980/1A

The Ref. 5980 is a model that was released in 2006 and is equipped with a chronograph (stopwatch function), which is rare for a Nautilus.

Chronograph watches tend to have three circles, which gives them a cool yet complex impression, but this model has only one circle, giving it a clean look.

This item has become a hot topic among watch investors as its price on the second-hand market has risen significantly.

Nautilus 5726/1A-001

Source: patek.com

This model was released in 2010.

This model features an annual calendar and moon phase display . This highly functional combination is popular among Nautilus fans.

The overall balance is also very beautiful, and it has a charm that is slightly different from other Nautiluses.

Nautilus 5990/1A

Source: patek.com

This model was released in 2014.

We have introduced several Nautilus chronograph models so far, but in addition to these, there is also a type of Nautilus that incorporates a dual time zone mechanism that displays the time at both the departure point and the local time .

The back is a see-through case back, allowing you to see the internal mechanism.

Extra Edition Nautilus 5800/1A

This model was released in 2006 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Nautilus. Its unique feature is that the back is a skeleton case, allowing you to see the internal mechanism.

Another appeal of this model is that it is fun to look at both the front and back.

The 5800 is a slightly smaller model than the other Nautilus models, and is especially popular among Japanese people . Because it was produced for a very short period of time, it also commands a premium price.

Extra Edition Nautilus 3712

Source: watchcentre.com

This is also a highly premium model that was released in 2005 and was discontinued within just one year .

This is a rare Nautilus watch, so you can expect to get a very high price for it if you put it on the second-hand market.

summary

In this article, we have talked about the Nautilus, Patek Philippe's pride and joy.

Among Patek Philippe's watches, which are counted among the world's three greatest watches, the Nautilus is one of their flagship products.

The Nautilus was created by Gerald Genta, the most brilliant watch designer of the 20th century, and was inspired by the porthole.

We have already mentioned that the distinctive ear design was created to achieve high water resistance .

We have introduced the following models as representative models of the Nautilus.

• Nautilus 3700/1A
• Nautilus 3800/1A
• Nautilus 5711/1A
• Nautilus 5712/1A
• Nautilus 5980/1A
• Nautilus 5726/1A-001
• Nautilus 5990/1A
• Nautilus 5800/1A
• Nautilus 3712

We also introduced that each model has its own characteristics and differences in functions and materials.

The Nautilus is a great watch investment, so if you come across one, it might be worth considering buying one.

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Thank you for reading.
If you're interested in the Nautilus, be sure to check out Patek Philippe watches first!
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