The history
More than forty years has passed since the creation of the original
Patek Philippe Nautilus and this now classic piece, is more popular than ever. First unveiled by
Patek Philippe in the 1970s and designed by
Gérald Genta - who incidentally designed the
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak amongst others - the
Nautilus has become a
cultural icon due to its distinctive features and its role as a pioneer for high-end luxury sports watches.
The
Nautilus was released later than the
Royal Oak by
Audemars Piguet, and offered a different take on the idea of a luxury sports watch, though - like the
Royal Oak - it was made in stainless steel.
The
reference 3800/1A (seen in this example), was first produced in the early 1980s, as an alternative to the
‘Jumbo’ 3700 - with a reduced diameter of 37.5mm - in response to the initial slow start of the original reference. As with all
Nautilus examples, the
reference 3800/1A features an integrated,
water-tight "porthole" case, famously penned by Mr. Gérald Genta.
The design
In essence, the reference
3800 is a scaled-down version of the
3700. The watch displays a similar dark, ridged dial, with horizontal grooves (as seen in the
3700/1), along with applied tritium-filled hour markers, white outer-minute divisions, polished baton hands (with luminous inserts) and a date aperture at 3 o’clock.
With this example, the
index-markers and hands are manufactured from white gold, indicated by the lower case Greek letter ‘Sigma’ at the bottom of the dial. The ‘Sigma’ signature was a visual declaration of the use of precious materials, and was adopted by a number of manufactures throughout the 70’s - emphasising the inherent value of a high-quality, mechanical watch.
Like the ref.
3700, the case and the
original integral 3800/001 stainless steel bracelet and signed clasp are excellently finished, with angular, beveled and polished edges. The polished screws, bezel and case edges fantastically-contrast with the brushed surface of the case and bracelet. At 37.5mm in diameter, and only 7.5mm thick, the
3800 Nautilus case is well proportioned and wears comfortably on the wrist.
The movement
As a result of Patek Philippe's decision to develop its own in-house, ultra-slim movement, the reference 3800 features an updated calibre 335 S C (for “seconde centrale” or “central second”), replacing the previous calibre 28-255C movement. The calibre 335 S C features 29 jewels, a straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance; adjusted to cold, heat, isochronism, and 5 positions, a self-compensating flat balance spring and shock absorber mechanism. Furthermore, the solid-gold rotor is finished in classic Patek Philippe style, with circular Geneva stripes.
The Set
Overall, this Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800/1A is well preserved, boasting a nicely-preserved thick case and bracelet. It comes with its original outer and inner boxes, Certificate of Origin, confirming sale in 1997, and leather folder.
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