Patek Philippe, with the introduction of the Nautilus in 1976 created one of the most iconic and classic wristwatches of the late 20th century. It was a new era of luxury and glamour.

Gerald Genta’s design inspired by the portholes of transatlantic ocean liners was named after Captain Nemo’s Nautilus submarine from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The ‘Jumbo’ case with wide flat bezel, integrated link bracelet, and ultra-thin automatic movement had a masculine aesthetic compared to the smaller dressy gold mechanical watches of the time.

Even though the Nautilus was Patek Philippe’s first endeavor into luxury sports watch models, it nevertheless created incredibly attractive examples in yellow gold and an ultra-rare and elusive example in white gold like the present example.

The present watch, fresh to the market, is one of only 12 known reference 3700s cased in white gold and only one of 2 known examples of reference 3700/11 made in white gold.
Patek Philippe produced two versions of the Nautilus ref 3700: 3700/1 from 1976 to about 1981 featuring a straight bracelet and reference 3700/11, in production from 1981 to 1990, with a tapered steel bracelet, like the present example.

The delicate shine of the white gold case is un-comparable and its heft is a pleasure to feel on the wrist. In overall excellent condition the present watch is rendered even more covetable thanks to the presence of its original certificate of origin and hangtag as well as the addition of a second dial with diamond markers, the latter giving the watch a dash of extra flamboyance.