Patek Philippe Nautilus

Patek Philippe’s steel sports watch, with a case shaped like a ship’s porthole.

Gérald Genta drew the Nautilus a few years after the Royal Oak. The shape took up the portholes of an ocean liner, and the advertising said that one of the world’s most expensive watches was made of steel.

Launched in 1976, the Nautilus in time became one of the most sought-after watches, and demand has outstripped production.

Materials: Steel, sapphire crystal; thin automatic movement

Manufacture: Made in Geneva; the first reference was the 3700.

The ears on the sides of the case, like the hinges of a porthole.

The horizontally ribbed dial.

The integrated steel bracelet.

The first Nautilus, reference 3700 from 1976, was a large watch and, like the first Royal Oak, was called the Jumbo.

The case is in two parts, and the bezel has two protruding ears on the sides, like the hinges of a porthole in a ship. The bracelet is integrated into the case.

A rounded octagonal bezel with ears on the sides, a horizontally ribbed dial, often blue or grey, and an integrated bracelet.

From the 1980s there are smaller sizes and models in gold. Reference 5711 from 2006 became the most sought after and was discontinued in 2021.

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