A massive size, cheaper materials and a curious case shape : the first 3700/1 Nautilus by Patek Philippe appeared like an « UFO » on the sports watch market. Its designer, Gerald Genta, who also designed the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet 4 years earlier, tried something really new with this watch off the charts. It will become a real success 10 years later.

In fact at that time, watches were ultra thin and in gold whereas the Nautilus came with a 42 mm diameter and was available in steel, gold, steel and gold… It had furthermore a high price and unlikely it didn’t please sports watch aficionados at first sight.

These last years we have seen this watch becoming a very sought after model through all auctions because of its very limited production for some models, prices can thus vary today between 5,000€ and 50,000€ depending on the condition and rarity.

These rising prices today are even more highlighted by the initial price 40 years ago which didn’t go beyond 2,300€ as new. It all depends on the rarity of some productions or special orders like all highlights from the Christie’s catalogue, the first of a long series until the end of the year, celebrating 40 years of the Nautilus (Dubaï, Geneva, Hong Kong, New York).

Years passing by and the Nautilus evolved through many different versions ; Patek Philippe created this timeline to resume 40 years of style and evolution.

The famous auction house Christie’s which also by the way celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, has decided to highlight this model which has become an icon in the field of modern and vintage watch collecting, by having a special section for the Nautilus 40th Anniversary in its first big sale of the season to be held in Dubai, October 19th 2016.

Among all models of this section, three struck my eye to symbolize the adventure of the Nautilus these last 40 years. Lots 137, 139, and 143 are the best examples of what collectors like today, all in steel. One has a variant on its dial, the second one is complete with its original presentation case, very rare in the vintage watch world and the last one is more recent with a one year only production. This array shows clearly the story of the Nautilus under different angles.

The first one, lot 137, is the 3700/1 reference dating from 1978, realized for the Sultanate of Oman, sold at the time by Asprey house in London and recognizable thanks to the « Kanjar » symbol on the dial. This rare example of only two known on the market, will surely unchain passions of many watch enthusiasts. With an estimate between 150,000 and 250,000 US$, we can expect a glorious auction battle under the auctioneer’s hammer.

The lot 139 caught my eye too thanks to its original presentation ; an original cork box very sought after by collectors, the presentation case itself will make a difference in the final price. This model is the 3700/11 and was only manufactured in 1200 examples in 1981. This model varies from the original 3700/1 by the steel material used which is made of chrome, nickel and Moybdenum steel. This rare model is estimated between 30,000 and 50,000 US$.

Finally, I would like to point out the 3712/1A model (lot 143) which appealed me ; this is a contemporary reference produced between 2005 and 2006, soon replaced by the 5712 model. Produced in a very limited number, this Jumbo size model was inspired by the very first Nautilus from 1976 and is consequently very popular for collectors. It  presents a variant on the dial recognizable near the date indication. Including power reserve, moon phase and date, this 2006 model is estimated between 20,000 and 30,000$. It will be very interesting to follow the final result.

 

Through these examples, we will discuss in a few weeks the results of this first Nautilus session, while expecting the next Geneva sales, pinnacle of the auction season for all watch lovers worldwide.

On your watches, get ready, set, go ! AW Blog is on its way to help you analyze both models and their results on the international auction market.

 

Geoffroy Ader