The Skinny
- Reference – 3700-01A
- 42mm x 7.6mm
- Stainless Steel
- Calibre 28-255 built on Jaeger-LeCoultre 920 base
- Produced and sold in 1978
- One owner, never polished, maintained by the original retailer.
- Estimated Value (2023) – $200,000
Why Review Such a Thing?
I wasn’t expecting to see a watch like this when I stumbled into a dealership in Denmark, and when the kind people there and I got chatting they felt compelled to share this rare example with me. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Given the opportunity to spend time wearing this example and to photograph it, I wanted to tell its story and relay as much of the experience as I could.
Why Is This Such a Special Example?
For those who want to know more about the Nautilus 3700, there are more guides claiming to tell you everything you’d ever need to know than there are 3700s available for sale. This review is not an historical account of this model, but an impression of this specific example.
What makes this one special are three important and rare aspects that come together in this example:
- This watch has had one owner.
- This watch is in all original condition – no polishing, and serviced only at the original dealer.
- This watch was bought on a whim after an afternoon of drinking, and the owner wore it from 1978 until 2023.
In other words, this example is not just some great looking Patek Nautilus 3700 that some dealer is looking to unload; it is someone’s personal watch, and the provenance has remained with the same dealer who sold it so long ago. Time isn’t fractured here, but smooth and continuous and flowing. If we take authenticity to be “closeness to origins” then this is about as authentic as a watch can get.
Why Originals Trounce Modern Interpretations
This is exactly the watch that Gerald Genta designed. There have been no tweaks or accommodations or updates to genta’s design. This is it, the one, as he conceived of it – at least as closely as it could be once the initial compromises with production limitations were made (if there were any). Being unpolished, we get a sense of the exact surfaces Genta dreamed up, even if those surfaces are beat up. This brings us into the closest contact we can have with the original designer, which is quite a special feeling – and a rare one.
Again, we are closer to the origins, and therefore quite authentic.
The overall vibe of this watch is subdued, and this isn’t only because it’s steel and beat up. It’s because the original Nautilus was, indeed, somewhat understated when compared to its modern counterparts – now only available in precious metal, as of 2022’s discontinuation of the Nautilus Reference 5711. That understatement comes in the abundance of brushed surfaces, especially the bezel front, and the muted steely gray blue of the dial. The thinness of the watch contributes to the sense of elegance and understatement as well.
More simply put, this watch exudes a serious vibe but is refreshingly low on ostentation (though if anyone knew what you were wearing you’d be committing a bodacious act of braggadocio).
Like many watches from Patek Philippe (and countless other brands), the original models from the 20th century are just so much mellower and understated than their modern counterparts, but I didn’t expect to have such a strong feeling of understatement and class from a Nautilus – perhaps because the trends have elevated this model to a thing of bling. What this tells me is that even during the disco years, Patek was driven by the same understatement that gave us the Calatrava and countless other gorgeous studies in classic design over the 20th century.
To Polish or Not To Polish?
This is a discussion that I don’t care to have, but which I know will be a big deal for whomever buys this watch. It may also be a big discussion among those who bother to discuss this specific watch.
The reason I don’t want to discuss polishing is because the answer is so obvious – no, do not polish it! – that the very thought of someone buying it and not having the good sense to preserve this example just pains me, the way so many bad human behaviors do. I might someday have to weather meeting this hypothetical collector, at which point something rude would likely come out of my mouth. Let’s hope I don’t need to conjure any insults.
Is It The Hype?
I’ve handled my share of so-called hype-watches (vintage and new), and none of them have given me the excitement of handing this Nautilus 3700 (though the Rolex Red Sub 1680s sometimes come close). Why did this Nautilus excite me so?
At first I thought it was the hype around the steel Nautilus – and around steel fancy sports watches from the 70s more generally – but what has lingered is a powerful wave of nostalgia for the 1970s. I don’t think I realized how essentially 1970s the Nautilus was until I’d actually worn one from the 1970s. This was a surprisingly different experience from wearing newer iterations, which brings me no nostalgia. This is generally true of all vintage watches, but the force was strong with this one.
What makes this example so 1970s? It’s the combination of the original proportions and materials being intact coupled to the narrative intimacy of this exact example. This watch hadn’t yet passed through the hands of vintage dealers and collectors. Its provenance was as undiluted and pure as its physical condition. It still felt like someone’s watch, which seems like the only object capable of taking on some part of its owner’s soul. I don’t actually believe any of that, but that’s what it felt like. Soulfulness is perhaps be the opposite of hype.