Patek Nautilus Historical Background

In 1976, Patek Philippe started producing a new model called Nautilus Ref. 3700/1A, which was nicknamed "Jumbo.” The case diameter is 40mm. Its inspired design, like the Royal Oak, was the brainchild of the late Gérald Genta, who drew his sketch in five minutes while eating meters from the table of Patek Philippe executives. Back then, the Nautilus was a breakthrough, fostering mechanical watchmaking’s renaissance as the quartz age was coming to an end, thus making Europe and the Swiss Made great again. In 1981, Patek Philippe introduced the Ref. 3800. The 3800 reduced the case size to 37.5 mm while the design and construction remained the same, including the eight-weight Gyromax balance. In 1997, the caliber 330/134 SC replaced the 330/194 SC, which had a lower frequency of 3 Hz to increase the power reserve to 48 hours. In 2006, Ref. 5711 was introduced; it measures 40mm along the ten to four o'clock line but extends the overall width to 42.5mm compared to the original 42mm. Initially, this model had the 324 SC caliber, which was soon replaced by the 315 SC caliber, which was introduced in the 3711 model. In 2018, Ref. 5740 was introduced, which immediately after its release reached the first place in the market, and the demand for it was very high. A perpetual calendar was added to this model, which was the brand's most valuable complication. The perpetual calendar mechanism, as pioneered by Patek in 1925, has a traditional construction, relying on a grand lever and a classic 48-month cam.

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