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Patek Philippe Nautilus Retrospective Chapter 1 The Nautilus sports watch has become an unexpected star in Patek Philippe’s catalog. Released in the 1970s to tap into the new and growing trend for luxury sports watches, the Nautilus' steel construction, minimalist dial and unconventional styling were significantly different from any other watch made by Patek Philippe to date. The renowned Swiss watchmaker, known for its range of precious metal dress watches and complicated timepieces, commissioned Gerald Genta to design its first steel sports watch, a collaboration that proved to be highly successful.

After more than forty years of development, the Patek Philippe Nautilus watch has become a highly collectible watch and a well-deserved hype watch. This retrospective will be divided into four main chapters, which will provide an in-depth exploration of the history, evolution and collectability of the Patek Philippe Nautilus. We’ll discuss all the models in the range so far, detailing all metals, sizes and complication options.

In this first chapter of the Patek Philippe Nautilus retrospective, we will cover the first two decades of the series, from its debut in 1976 to 1996.


Understanding the Patek Philippe Reference Code
Before we look at the history and evolution of the Nautilus, it’s worth a quick refresher on how to read a Patek Philippe reference number.

/: If the first 4 numbers are followed by a "/", it means that the Patek Philippe watch is equipped with a metal bracelet (instead of a leather strap)
A: Acier, French, meaning stainless steel
J: Jaune, the French word for yellow, like gold
JA: Jaune Acier gold and stainless steel
G: Gris, which means gray in French, is the code for platinum.
P: Platine, French for platinum
Understanding these codes will make it easier for you to understand all the variations of Nautilus.