The Patek Philippe Nautilus watch was first introduced to the world in 1976. Since then, the model range of the collection has been replenished and has 15 versions: 10 male and 5 female. This collection became an integral part of the Patek Philippe brand and won the hearts of critics, although not immediately. The first watches were presented at an exhibition in Basel, where, to put it mildly, they did not make a proper impression on critics. Let's go back 43 years and figure out how it was.
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A little bit of brand history.
Nautilus was born at the time of the "quartz crisis" experienced by the Swiss watch industry in the 70s. And although Patek Philippe were still among the leaders in the production of luxury watches, while other well-known brands were losing ground or leaving the market altogether, the brand also had a hard time during the crisis. The company needed to find new non-standard solutions, and they were found. The most daring of them was their own production of quartz calibers for new models. At the same time, the shape of the models was quite classic, and they were made of gold, which was quite normal and expected at that time.
Own production of quartz watches.
Patek Philippe has been manufacturing its own desktop and wall quartz watches since the late 40s. They were produced by a special electronics department and, it should be noted that these watches were popular all over the world and even won international awards. Copies of these watches can be seen in the company's museums, as well as in some public places, the most popular of which is the Vatican. But here we are talking about large industrial watches, but not about classic wristwatches. Many felt that the brand had changed itself by starting to put quartz calibers of its own production in the "holy of holies" of watch production.
The new concept of the iconic clock turned out to be the opposite of the one that was the basis of their creation. An affordable steel watch with a minimal set of functions has gone down in history. Instead, Patek Philippe took up the usual business — the production of complex and sophisticated mechanisms in an expensive frame. There was also, however, a kind of "farewell gesture" for diving enthusiasts with Nautilus on their wrist: in 2006, Patek Philippe resumed production of the classic steel Nautilus (37 mm) under model number 5800/1A for a very short time, but very quickly curtailed its production.
The flagship watch of the entire collection is the only simple steel model from the entire line of the 5711/1A series. It really has nothing superfluous, and it is very similar to its legendary predecessor — the 3700/1A model. Even the dial of the new model has the same longitudinal fluting as the first version. The difference between the old and new models is that the new one has a second hand and a sapphire back cover, which allows you to admire the wonderful Patek automatic mechanism. Moreover, the case size has become slightly larger (43 mm). However, the latter applies to all male models of the new generation without exception. Nautilus 5711 had versions with a leather strap and cases made of all colors of gold, but they were produced for a very short time and were discontinued in 2010.
All subsequent versions of the Nautilus are similar to the flagship in body shape, no more. This is basically a watch with various complex functions, or made of precious metals, often decorated with diamonds as well. Perhaps the closest in spirit to the first "Nautilus" are the 3712/1A models and variants of the 5712 model, which is available either in a steel case with a bracelet, or in white or rose gold cases with a leather strap.
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