Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800/1A-001 - 2006

Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800/1A-001 Released 4 years after the OG 3700, the 3800 was the very first mid-sized Nautilus. To the untrained eye it looked like merely a shrunken 'Jumbo', but look closer and you'll find some key differences. Firstly, you'll find a central seconds hand, which was absent on the 3700, and holds the honour of being the first Nautilus with an in-house calibre. The case shape is also subtlety different, with the 'ears' being softened, and along with its case proportions leaves it feeling like a more refined alternative to its big brother. The 3800 was also available with a myriad of dials, with over 20 options being available over the course of its production run across the different metals. The steel version had 4 dial options, the most well known being the dark blue with baton markers, the white with baton markers, and the lesser seen charcoal grey with Arabic numerals and black with applied Roman numerals. The latter is what we have here today. Introduced in circa-1996, it the base is a deep, black lacquer, with white printed railroad minute track, and topped with lumed leaf hands in white gold. The most notable feature of the dial is the numerals, which are applied white gold Roman's, filled with lume. The monobloc case is made in steel, and measures 37.5mm from ear-to-ear and 41.7mm lug-to-lug. You'll note that the 'ears' have a function, and are used to clamp the bezel and wings to the monobloc case, rather than decorative like on a 5711, and is much like the difference between an AP 5402ST and 15202ST. It's details like these that make these vintage and neo-vintage Holy Trinity watches so collectable, and infinitely cooler than their modern counterparts. It's mounted to the wonderfully tapered and supple steel bracelet, that is very well finished. It's also superbly constructed, from an era where Patek were not cutting costs on their steel models, evidenced by the screwbars rather than pin sleeves a-la the 5711. Powering it is the in-house and Geneva-sealed 330 sc. This particular example was first sold locally in 2006, has been in the present owners care for 15 years, and presents in excellent neo-vintage condition. The case is extremely crisp, with sharp bevel lines, and excellent finishes throughout. Shows only very minor hairlines, and some tiny fleabites on the bevels. The bezel is in excellent condition, with some minor nicks/fleabites and some hairlines, but nothing large, and extremely good for an area which usually shows quite a bit of wear on these. Caseback has excellent finishing, with only the lightest of marks. Please see images for full condition details. Dial shows no signs of wear, and hands are in excellent condition. The bracelet is in superb condition, contains all links, and shows very little stretch. Was last serviced by Patek in 2011, and has not been opened since. Was worn very sparingly as you can see from the condition, and is currently keeping time at around +8 seconds a day at 300+ degrees of amplitude, with 0 beat rate error measured dial-up on a timegrapher, and all functions operating as they should. Comes with service case, booklet holder, booklets, Certificate of Origin, hang tag, and spare link to complete the bracelet. As good an example as you'll find, and with its whole history spent in Australia. You won't find that too often, so don't miss your chance to pick up this amazing example of a historically important Nautilus. Brand: Patek Philippe Reference: 3800/1A-001 Circa: 2006 Case Material: Stainless Steel Case details: 37.5mm Bracelet: Patek Steel - Fully linked Movement: Patek Calibre 330 SC Dial: Black Paraphernalia:Service case, booklet holder, booklets, Certificate of Origin, hang tag, and spare link to complete the bracelet. Grading: Excellent Neo-Vintage