Live Auction 1245Important Watches
PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE AND ATTRACTIVE 18K GOLD AND DIAMOND-SET WRISTWATCH WITH GAY FRERES 18K GOLD BRACELET
Lot 140 YELLOW GOLD AND DIAMOND-SET BEZEL 3700/3

PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE AND ATTRACTIVE 18K GOLD AND DIAMOND-SET WRISTWATCH WITH GAY FRERES 18K GOLD BRACELET

SIGNED PATEK PHILIPPE, GENEVE, NAUTILUS MODEL, REF. 3700/3, MOVEMENT NO. 1'308'060, CASE NO. 555'024, MANUFACTURED IN 1981

Closed19 October 2016

Price Realised

USD 75,000

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PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE AND ATTRACTIVE 18K GOLD AND DIAMOND-SET WRISTWATCH WITH GAY FRERES 18K GOLD BRACELET
SIGNED PATEK PHILIPPE, GENEVE, NAUTILUS MODEL, REF. 3700/3, MOVEMENT NO. 1'308'060, CASE NO. 555'024, MANUFACTURED IN 1981
MOVEMENT: Automatic, Caliber 28-255 C, 36 jewels
DIAL: Ribbed black, applied luminous gold numerals, luminous hands, window for date
CASE: 18K gold two-part secured by four screws in the band, bezel set with 112 diamonds, 42 mm. width, the approx. diamond weight is 1.48 cts
SIGNED: Case, dial, movement, underside of bezel numbered 024, clasp punched with Gay Frères mark
BRACELET/CLASP: 16.5 mm. 18K gold Nautilus bracelet with deployant clasp, overall length of the bracelet approx. 165 mm
ACCOMPANIED BY: A Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming the production of the present watch in 1981 with 112 diamonds, black dial, applied yellow gold luminous indexes and its subsequent sale on 12 February 1982.

Specialist note

The reference 3700/3 is a very rare diamond-set version of the gold “Jumbo” Nautilus model. As confirmed by the extract from the archives it is set with 112 diamonds with a weight of 1.48 carats. The present watch, preserved in excellent condition has the large-size 16.5 mm. bracelet of the first generation Nautilus, being made in 1981 it must be one of the very last of the watches made with a Favre-Perret case, confirmed by the presence of their mark inside.
The Nautilus Bracelet
The Nautilus bracelet was designed by Gérald Genta as a fully integrated part of the watch’s overall look. The first series of Nautilus, reference 3700/1 had a bracelet with a width of 16.5 mm, it had 12 fixed and 8 removable links. The deployant clasp is signed by Patek Philippe and punched with Gay Frères trademark on gold models. The reverse of the inner clasp is engraved “Nautilus” except for the earliest examples up to around the end of 1977 which do not have this engraving.
From 1982 with the launch of the reference 3700/011 a narrower “second generation” bracelet with a width of 14 mm. was introduced. It had 16 fixed links and 8 removable links.