From SwissWatchExpo… Spotlight On: The Patek Philippe Nautilus.
5 Things You probably didn’t know about it
The Patek Philippe Nautilus is the most coveted steel luxury sports watch today, with an average
waiting time of 8 years. At 44 years old, it has more than defied the odds of its time.
Launched in 1976, when the Swiss watch industry was reeling from the quartz crisis, the Nautilus
was unlike anything expected from the brand. To survive, brands had to deliver innovative
and awe-inducing watches - and the Nautilus sure delivered.
The oversized, expensive, and steel-made watch with a premium price stood out from the pack;
and has been in continuous production since. Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know
about the legendary Nautilus.
Genius doesn’t always take time. In the case of Gerald Genta, all it took was 5 minutes.
In a 2009 interview, Genta told the story of how he came up with the Nautilus.
Sitting in a restaurant at the 1976 Basel Fair, Genta took notice of Patek Philippe
executives eating at the other end of the room. He put pen to paper and began sketching
out a rough design.
Knowing that the Sterns, owners of Patek Philippe, were avid fans of sailing, he based the design
from the porthole of a transatlantic liner. The ‘ears’ on each side of the Nautilus were
inspired by the oversized hinges of the watertight windows.
The nautical-inspired watch took its name from Jules Verne’s classic novel, Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - an underwater adventure story.
The protagonist Captain Nemo invented and ran a submarine named Nautilus, which was armour-plated,
so strong it can sink any ship, and was equipped with a 12,000 volume library, and an art
collection.
The thrilling piece of Verne’s imagination not only inspired the Patek Philippe Nautilus,
but also the first commissioned submarine of the US Navy and, the first nuclear powered
submarine.
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Patek took some risks with its price, which ultimately saved the company. Instead of cutting
costs to appeal to customers, Patek Philippe did the exact opposite and put a steep price
on the Nautilus.
In fact, one of the Nautilus’ earliest ads says “one of the world’s costliest watches
is made of steel.” Together with its versatility and unique design, the unabashedly high price
catalyzed its popularity.
In 1976, the retail price for the Nautilus was 3,100 dollars, when a Rolex Daytona sold
for 1,000 ; and a gold Patek Philippe mechanical wrist watch sold for 4,000. This move attracted
affluent customers, and the Nautilus continues to appeal to this market today.
While the Nautilus was conceived as a steel sports watch, they began to include solid
yellow gold and two-tone models in the 1980s.
In 2004, they released a full white gold Nautilus, the 3711 (thirty seven eleven). Most recently,
the brand launched two limited edition pieces to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the
Nautilus, in white gold and platinum.
Its current most popular model, the 5711 (fifty seven eleven), is faithful to its ancestor,
the original Nautilus 3700 (thirty seven hundred).
There will always be a market for Nautilus made of precious metals, especially those
that are more complicated. However, the most coveted Nautilus today remains a steel model
– the reference 5711 to be exact.
The 5711 watch best sums up what the Nautilus is for collectors: a bold but sleek sports
watch, with a semi-round case, a blue dial, and a stainless steel construction – just
like the 3700, or the original Nautilus.
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