Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700/001A 'Gübelin'

If an -already rare- 3700 in pristine condition is too ordinary for you, you can spice things up a bit with a retailer stamp.

Purchased by a Dutch international businessman in Geneva and sold by that same gentleman to us over 40 years later. Luckily for us, the watch got little wrist time and therefore is still well preserved. Since he rarely wore it he tried offering it a decade ago to local watch dealers, there was little to no interest. How the tables have turned...

We are proudly presenting this 3700 with the original and sought-after "cork box", a cult item that easily adds 15000 euro to the value. The cherry on the cake is obviously the retailer stamp of the Swiss powerhouse. The watch furthermore comes with the papers (confirming the sale on 22-5-80) and booklet from Gübelin. It has just received a full spa treatment at Patek Philippe so it comes with an internationally covered warrantee on the functioning. Not uncommon for these tapestry dials to have some spots of discolouration, therefore quite some have been replaced during service; causing the collectibility to decrease dramatically. Obviously we made sure to keep the original "Sigma-dial" in place. Same goes to say for the tritium handset, matching the eggshell color of the markers.

If it is hard to fathom why this watch is so important, allow us to elaborate:
Patek Philippe was instrumental in creating the luxury steel sports watch craze with the release of the iconic Nautilus in 1976. At the time, the Nautilus retailed for a whopping $3,100, a price similar to Patek’s luxurious gold watches, causing an uproar among industry old-timers.

The 3700 is the original Nautilus, with this specimen dating back to 1980. The iconic octagonal case, designed by Gerald Genta, is executed in stainless steel and measures 42 mm (from the 10 to 4 o‘clock position). Attached to the case, we find the well-known integrated stainless steel Nautilus bracelet with discreet folding clasp. The watch sports a beautiful blue dial with a horizontally embossed pattern and applied baton markers. The ref. 3700 is powered by the ultra-thin caliber 28-255SC automatic movement with a solid gold rotor, which ensures the watch maintains a slim profile.