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At Patek, change is always present, but predominately with a decided and stately pace so it is no surprise that the Nautilus changed only slightly during its thirty-years
at Patek.
 On the
other hand, Audemars Piguet can't seem to get enough varieties of Royal Oak flavors out into the market fast enough, and several new models are released each year.
This is perhaps because the Royal Oak is the iconic leader model of AP, the model on which the brand's fame is known and recognized by the outside world, while
the Nautilus fulfills a different role in the Patek Philippe collection.
The
new Nautilus 3712/1 has returned to the larger dimensions of the original, but with a lot more added: It is the first Nautilus complication in that famous line.
The dial retains its horizontal ridges, but these are graduated in color from deep blue at the middle to a black shading at the edges. The moonphase and date display
at
7 o'clock,
power reserve between 10 and 11 and small seconds between 4 and 5 come across as being similar in placement to the 5055 and 5054. Indeed, as in those watches, the
240 PS IRM C LU caliber is utilized, so this is in itself no remarkable coincidence.
This
new Nautilus sports an open caseback allowing the wearer a view of the movement in all its Geneva Seal glory, including its
22-karat
gold, asymmetrically placed mini rotor.
Lower Resistance
This
is in itself a nice idea, but in combination with the pushers required for the date and moonphase corrections, the water resistance is affected. It is now only
half that of the previous
versions –
60 meters
instead of 120. Mind you, this is no major issue, but personally I prefer a larger margin of safety on an allround watch like this that would go everywhere with
me.
The
construction of the sapphire caseback is such that it sticks out slightly. It is a small issue, but for me, as well as several collectors I've spoken with, a closed
caseback would have been preferable as this Nautilus is still in spirit seen as a sports type watch. Perhaps eliminating it would even lower the already cased height
of 8.37 mm.
In its present state it is certainly still very rugged, but I would be less happy in the pool with this one on my wrist as opposed to one of its older predecessors.
Personally,
this watch is one of my favorites (yes, I am a diehard Patek Philippe fan) and when I accidentally saw the pictures on a desk in the PR office at Patek Philippe's
Geneva offices in January, it was love at first sight. But I had to promise the company's international public relations director, Jasmina Steele, to keep my love
a secret until after BASELWORLD. So here is my public declaration of love.
Maybe
it really is better to go look for yourself and decide since I am too enamored. In any case, with the Nautilus anniversary planned for 2006, I have been told that
there are more surprises in store for us next year. My guess would be a perpetual version of the Naut', but don't put any
bets on it… .
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The
year 1998 heralded the return of the Jumbo Nautilus, this time with Roman numerals and an unusual power reserve, or better stated, torque indicator, placed on the
dial under
12 o'clock.
Although touted as a power-reserve indicator, it actually showed the owner if the watch was within an area of proper torque for ideal functioning, with the indicator
“comet” and hand always chasing each other during the day. Personally,
I never
felt much for this particular dial design as I felt the Roman numerals were always appearing to be forced into the slight corners and curves of the complex octagonal
dial shape, and looking at it almost made my eyes feel uncomfortable.
It is
interesting to see how Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe took different approaches to these two sport designs from Genta, each incorporating it into their company
philosophy in their own particular way.
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JULY 2005
INTERNATIONAL WATCH
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