zelin0802 / June 20, 2023

From its launch in 1976 to its 20th anniversary in 1996, Chapter 1 of the Patek Philippe Nautilus Retrospective examines the collection’s first two decades. This chapter traces the evolution of the Nautilus family from 1996 to the mid-2000s. This era of the Nautilus included new dial designs, the introduction of complications, the return of the larger “Jumbo” case, and the predecessor to the Aquanaut. fashion cheap watches

Roman Dial Nautilus
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Nautilus in 1996, Patek Philippe substantially redesigned the dial of this mid-sized ref. 3800. Instead of the iconic horizontal groove texture, baton hour markers and round baton hands, Patek Philippe opted for a matte black background, applied Roman numerals and leaf-shaped hands. A railway minute track has also been added to the perimeter. These dial changes add a touch of sophistication to the otherwise sporty Patek Philippe watch.

Roman dials are primarily used on the all-steel and two-tone versions of the Nautilus 3800, as well as some all-gold versions.

Nautilus 3800/1A – Stainless Steel
Nautilus 3800/1JA – Two-tone steel and gold
Nautilus 3800/1J – Gold

“Pre-Aquanaut” Nautilus
In 1996, Patek Philippe also launched the first Nautilus model with a leather strap and a redesigned case. It’s called the Nautilus 5060S, and fans of the brand may recognize the 5060 reference number to the Aquanaut due out the following year. That’s because the Nautilus 5060S was in fact the Aquanaut’s predecessor — a “pre-Aquanaut,” if you will.

The enclosure of the Nautilus 5060S differs from conventional models in two main ways. First, it no longer has “ears” on each side to mimic the hinges of a porthole. Instead, it’s more streamlined while still retaining the typical round octagonal bezel. Second, the case now includes lugs to accommodate the leather strap instead of an integrated bracelet.

The Nautilus 5060S features a 35mm 18k yellow gold case and a then-new Roman dial design.

In 1997, Patek introduced the steel Aquanaut 5060A with rubber strap, and the gold Nautilus 5060S was reclassified as the Aquanaut 5060J (confusingly, Patek still sometimes shows it in catalogs as part of the Nautilus collection.)

The first Nautilus with complications
1998 marked the first release of Patek Philippe’s Nautilus wristwatch with complications. This is the Nautilus ref. 3710/1 which includes a power reserve display on the dial in addition to the regular hour, minute, second and date indications. The power reserve display is sloped slightly below the 12 o’clock position, and to accommodate it, Patek Philippe has moved the logo down above the 6 o’clock position.

Powering the Nautilus 3710/1 is a Caliber 330 SC IZR (IZR stands for Indication de Zone de Remontage, French for the winding zone).

In addition to introducing the collection’s first complication, the Nautilus 3710/1 also marks the return of the 42mm “Jumbo” size case. The steel case is paired with a black dial with Roman numerals similar to those introduced two years ago. However, Patek Philippe chose to equip the top quality watches with the traditional Genta-designed baton hands rather than the more elegant leaf-shaped hands.

The Nautilus 3710/1 with stainless steel integrated bracelet was not produced until 2006. Patek Philippe didn’t make any changes to this particular model, opting instead to stick with an all-steel construction and black Roman dial throughout the watch’s manufacture.

Platinum “Big Mac”
In 2004, Patek Philippe launched the Nautilus 3711/1G, which brought back the classic time and date Nautilus in a 42 mm “Jumbo” case. However, Patek Philippe chose to craft this watch in 18k white gold rather than steel, making the retail price unaffordable to many.

The precious metal case houses the classic Nautilus dial with horizontal grooves, baton hour markers and hour markers, and a date window at 3 o’clock. The watch has an 18k white gold integrated bracelet and is powered by the Caliber Caliber 315 SC movement.

The first Nautilus with a moon phase function
In 2005, Patek Philippe launched the Nautilus with another complication, this time including a moon phase display. The signature detail of the Nautilus 3712/1A is its dial with asymmetrical indications: power reserve indicator at 10:30, date and moon phase display at 7 o’clock and small seconds at 4 o’clock. Reference 3712 was the first Nautilus to feature the Caliber 240 movement with a micro-rotor.

The Nautilus 3712/1A is also notable for reintroducing the one-piece case construction (used in the original 3700/001A), with an integrated sapphire case back allowing the movement to be seen. The 42mm stainless steel case is paired with a stainless steel integrated bracelet, and the dial is finished in a classic gradient blue tone with horizontal grooves.

This concludes the second chapter of the Patek Philippe Nautilus retrospective. Don’t miss Chapter 3, where we cover the years 2006 to 2015. This era includes a range of 30th anniversary models (including the iconic model 5711), an expansion of the sophisticated Nautilus model and more materials and colorways of the collection. replica watches on sale