Patek Philippe - The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX featuring the Guido Mondani Collection Geneva Saturday, May 11, 2024 | Phillips

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  • Condition Report

  • Manufacturer: Patek Philippe
    Year: Circa 1980
    Reference No: 3700/003
    Movement No: 1'308'522
    Case No: 54'460
    Model Name: Nautilus
    Material: 18k yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 28 255C, 36 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe bracelet
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 42mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    What started as Patek Philippe’s first leisure luxury watch has slowly evolved into a full collection of time only and complicated timepieces made in steel and precious metals, highly coveted by collectors with waiting list that can be counted in years.

    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.

    The original Nautilus reference 3700 presented in 1976 was intended as a luxury sports watch and thus was made in steel, however in the 1980s Patek Philippe decided to create a very small number of pieces in yellow gold adding a dash of glamour to its iconic design.

    Patek Philippe pushed its own boundaries by creating an even rarer version of the gold Nautilus with a bezel elegantly set with two rows of diamonds adding extra flamboyance to the watch. So rare is the reference 3700/ 003 that the present fresh to the market example is only the 8th known.

    The present example is still service sealed and as such in extremely strong condition.

  • Artist Biography

    Patek Philippe

    Swiss • 1839

    Since its founding in 1839, this famous Geneva-based firm has been surprising its clientele with superbly crafted timepieces fitted with watchmaking's most prestigious complications. Traditional and conservative designs are found across Patek Philippe's watches made throughout their history — the utmost in understated elegance.

    Well-known for the Graves Supercomplication — a highly complicated pocket watch that was the world’s most complicated watch for 50 years — this family-owned brand has earned a reputation of excellence around the world. Patek's complicated vintage watches hold the highest number of world records for results achieved at auction compared with any other brand. For collectors, key models include the reference 1518, the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the reference 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the ref. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450, chronographs such as the reference 130, 530 and 1463, as well as reference 1436 and 1563 split seconds chronographs. Patek is also well-known for their classically styled, time-only "Calatrava" dress watches, and the "Nautilus," an iconic luxury sports watch first introduced in 1976 as the reference 3700 that is still in production today.

    View More Works

174

Ref. 3700/003
A superb yellow gold and diamond-set wristwatch with date and bracelet, service sealed

Circa 1980
42mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

Estimate
CHF100,000 - 200,000 
€102,000-205,000
$110,000-219,000

Sold for CHF196,850

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Europe, and Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX featuring the Guido Mondani Collection

Geneva Auction 11 - 12 May 2024