The Patek Philippe Nautilus, when it was first released in 1976, was the only true competitor to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak reference 5402. Both issued from the pen of the same designer, and legend has it that while Gerald Genta came up with the idea for the Royal Oak overnight, the outline for the Nautilus took “five minutes of work." However, Genta must have been dreaming up the design for the latter in his mind much before that because it presented a more refined take on the stainless-steel luxury aesthetic. While the Royal Oak wore its industrial look on the watch face, the Nautilus presented a more seamless appearance.
The water resistance that such a sporty design warranted called for innovative design work. The 3700 has a two-piece construction—a solid monobloc and octagonal bezel coming together, secured by four lateral screws concealed in the “ears” at 3 and 9 o’clock positions. Fittingly, it was named after the submarine helmed by Captain Nemo in Jules Vernes’ Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
This early example of the reference 3700 features a 42mm stainless-steel case, only 7.6mm thick. The brushed bezel features a sharp, high-polished bevelled edge, with this play of finishes repeated across the case as well as the bracelet. The inside of the caseback, as well as the underside of the "ears,” display serial numbers that correspond with those of the watch and its paperwork.
The ridged dial was hand-made by Stern Fréres. The colour has taken on a very attractive, if subtle, greenish tinge that reveals itself in certain light conditions. Such variance in dial colour is commonly associated with "Type 6" and "Type 7" dials that have been known to take on shades ranging from ocean blue to sea green. This example features a "Type 7" dial, distinguished by the two dots on the outer side of the (σ) symbol, consistent with examples produced from the 1980s onwards. The applied white gold hour markers are tritium-filled, with a chapter of dotted minutes running around them, while the baton-style hands are also filled with luminous material. The aperture at 3 o’clock has a white date wheel.
The bracelet on this 3700/001A is correct for the reference and era. It features wider and straighter links than on the reference 3700/011A that followed after 1982. The bracelet on the latter reference not only wore smaller links, but the bracelet also tapered much more markedly towards the clasp. The clasp of this 3700/001A bracelet corresponds to later examples of the reference produced from 1977 and wears “Nautilus” engraved alongside “PATEK PHILIPPE GENÉVE”, “STEEL INOX”, and “SWISS MADE”.
Inside beats the ultra-slim calibre 28-255C, based on Jaeger-LeCoultre’s legendary JLC920. It features a free-sprung Gyromax balance with four ruby wheels to support the solid gold winding rotor, which runs on a beryllium rail for better shock tolerance. While obscured from view, the rotor wears Geneva striping, and the rest of the movement is equally beautifully finished. It remains one of the thinnest self-winding movements with a full rotor.
The watch comes with a Certificate of Origin from Patek Philippe, stamped by the original retailer Orologeria Svizzera in 1981. Additionally, the materials include an original Certificate of Guarantee from the Florence-based retailer, which corresponds to the Certificate of Origin.