Brand
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5800/1A-001
The watch originally conceived by master designer Gérald Genta in 1976 has become one of the most famous, coveted, and collected watches in the world. Patek Philippe's Nautilus is an icon and, at this point, that is putting it lightly. In its original form, the Nautilus was born out of necessity. After Seiko announced the first commercially viable quartz wristwatch in 1969, the watch world would never be the same – and the smart brands, like Patek and Audemars Piguet, knew it. There was a significant drop in demand for the standard wristwatch with a mechanical movement, particularly at the highest level of the market. In an effort to survive, Swiss manufacturers needed to make new, groundbreaking, and, frankly, sexy watches. First, in 1972, came the AP Royal Oak, another Genta creation, and, with it, the luxury sports watch was born.
For Baselword in 1976, it was Patek Philippe's turn to respond. Their response was the Nautilus. With an integrated bracelet and a case shape inspired by the portholes of a transatlantic ocean liner, the design was positioned to hint at the marriage of robustness and elegance. Patek spent decades marketing the idea of a gold or precious metal wristwatch as the ultimate luxury item. With the Nautilus, there was clearly a departure, so the brand addressed it right in their first marketing campaign for the new model. "One of the world's costliest watches is made of steel" reads a period advertisement. From the beginning, the Nautilus, in every detail, aimed to be the perfect luxury sport watch and, in the years since, that status has only been further cemented.
After a brief span of absence from the Patek catalog following the discontinuation of the original reference number, 3700, in the 1980s, for the 30th anniversary of the Nautilus in 2006, the ref. 5800/1A-001 was introduced alongside the ever-popular 5711. A mid-size take on the classic Nautilus form factor, the ref. 5800 replaced the previous-gen ref. 3800 and helped introduce the brand-new in-house caliber 330 SC. After only a few short years on the market, Patek Philippe discontinued the ref. 5800/1A-001 in 2009.
This particular Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5800/1A-001 is in overall clean and excellent pre-owned condition. The stainless steel case and bracelet have been lightly refinished and show crisp lines. The sapphire exhibition caseback displays the beautifully Côtes de Genève-finished movement which is stamped with a Geneva seal, dating the watch to before the switch to a Patek Philippe seal in roughly 2009. There is light scratching to the case and bracelet. It appears the watch was worn very lightly. During our quality control check, any necessary adjustments are made to ensure the watch is functioning as intended.
The dial, crown, case, movement, and bracelet are signed by Patek Philippe. In addition, this watch comes with its original outer box, inner presentation box, and suede leather pouch.
Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek started making watches together in Geneva in 1839. They separated in 1844, and in 1845, Adrien Philippe joined Antoni Patek to form Patek Philippe & Co. Today, Patek Philippe is the last family-owned, independent watch manufacture in Geneva and is universally regarded as the maker of some of the world's most collectible timepieces. Patek Philippe is just as well-known for its highly complicated watches – including split-seconds chronographs, perpetual calendars, minute repeaters, and world timers – as it is for its simple dress and sport watches in the Calatrava and Nautilus collections. In the 21st century, Patek Philippe has continued to evolve thanks to its Advanced Research division, adopting new techniques and materials, such as silicon, before many other Swiss brands.
