PATEK PHILIPPE NAUTILUS: the steel that made history

 

"Ipse dixit" . He said so, i.e. the highest possible authority: discussion over.

Cicero tells us that this phrase originated in the internal diatribes of Pythagorean circles, when, in order to put an end to excessively subjective interpretations of the doctrine by the students, the disputants were led back to the Master's uncontroversial Word: He said so, "ipse dixit", and all agreed.

In the Middle Ages, the role of authority fell to the supreme Aristotle for centuries: if a concept had been expressed by the philosopher from Stagira, it was dogma.

This principle, to us watchmaking enthusiasts, brings to mind only one name: Patek Philippe.

Ipse dixit, or rather ipse fecit, i.e. Patek did it: hats off.

Whether we are talking about technical solutions, dimensions of a case, stylistic dictates, we always have a 'supreme' name to invoke: Patek did it.

A fame that is obviously well deserved, because the history of Haute Horlogerie since 1839 is inextricably intertwined with that of the very prestigious Geneva-based Maison .

One hundred and eighty-one years in which Patek has created some of the most beloved and dreamed of watches for collectors.

But in 1976 in Geneva they had an idea that would break a century and a half of strict stylistic protocol: to produce a watch in steel!

The commercial success that a few years earlier had bestowed on the competitor Audemars Piguet, with the Royal Oak, whetted the audacity of the Stern family, which had owned the Maison since 1932.

Why not?

Certainly, the emblazoned image of Patek seemed firmly anchored in the exclusive production of timepieces in noble metal. Steel was considered excessively sporty.

But the Sterns did not let themselves be conditioned; they wanted to bring the historical heritage of the maison up to date (after all, tradition is a successful innovation).

The die was cast: the styling project was entrusted to the genius of Gerald Genta, not surprisingly already the creator of the Royal Oak.

And it was immediately myth, and the myth was christened Nautilus.

Steel bracelet, one-piece case in steel and a bezel, which became iconic, that managed to reinterpret the rigid geometry of an octagon with the sinuosity of curved lines. Date display at three o'clock, baton hour and minute hands, and a black dial decorated with horizontal lines. The movement was the 28255, based on the 920 Le Coultre calibre.

The first reference produced was the 3700/1, which was christened Jumbo
due to the generous dimensions of its case, which boasted a diameter of 42 mm. Its list price, however, was certainly not that of a normal steel watch.

But the Maison made precisely this economic feature a strong point, focusing on an advertising campaign that emphasised that one of the most expensive watches in the world was... made of steel.

After all, it had done so Patek Philippe!

And the seemingly incongruous price compared to the metal thus became entirely justified in the eyes of the public.

And to this day, enthusiasts chase this model at auctions all over the world, where it beats staggering figures.

Various versions have followed over the years (the reference 3700/1 went out of production in 1990, and its epigone today is the ref 5711): solo time in precious metal (ref 5711G/R/J), power reserve with moon phases (ref 5712), annual calendar 5726, automatic chronograph (ref 5980) and dual time zone chronograph (ref 5990), perpetual calendar in gold (5740/1G), through to women's references in gold and precious stones.

Models that range in materials and complications, but which remain united by a name, Nautilus, which has now definitively entered the collective imagination. On the other hand, Patek Philippe did...