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...

In order to survive, Patek Philippe launched the Nautilus. It was a reaction to the massive decline in sales due to the introduction of quartz watches. Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak in 1972, creating a new breed of timepieces: luxury sports watches. Patek Philippe turned to the same designer, Gerald Genta, to create a similar piece. The Nautilus was Patek Philippe's venture into a new species of watches. Initially, this groundbreaking -porthole inspired- model was launched in steel; yet carried the exorbitant price tag of $3100USD.

he 3700 is the original Nautilus, with this specimen dating back to the late 70's. 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 sturdy folding clasp. Only until 1981 the case is made by Favre Perret and the bracelet by Gay Freres. Approximately 3500 of these "1st series" have been made in steel.

The dial is most certainly iconic. Showcasing once again, they are taking it a step further (in terms of finishing) than sport watch counterparts from other brands. The embossed bars on the dark surface -or "ribbed" as the maison describes it- adds grandeur to an otherwise straightforward dial lay-out.. The applied indices are baton shaped, and just like the hands, are filled with tritium as luminescent compound. The absence of an hour markers at the 3 o'clock position allows the date function to be present. Even though the color is always described as "Matte black" on the extract, in reality it is so much more rich; ranging from dark blue to anthracite. 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.

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. To emphasise once more the Nautilus isn't just a utility watch, Patek Philippe relied on one of the thinnest and finest automatic movements. Cal. 28-255C is based on the renowned 920 from Jaeger-LeCoultre.

"Jumbo" in size, "Great" in demand and "Mega" in historical significance.