Patek Philippe. A fine and very rare stainless steel automatic wristwatch with date, sweep centre seconds, bracelet and white dial

Fresh to the auction market, the present timepiece was consigned by a private European collector and is part of the rarified examples of the reference to be offered in stainless steel with white ribbed dial.

Originally fitted with the classic black matte ribbed Nautilus dial as stated on the Extract from the Archives, the dial was most likely changed at the customer's request at the time of purchase, or during a service and replaced with the present very rare type of white Nautilus dial.

In this instance, the changed dial can be considered an enhancement and is a great rarity in its own right. Overall, the aesthetic of the watch is completely changed from a typical 3800/1 and this Nautilus represents something quite unusual for the collector.

The reference 3800/1 was made from 1981 to 2006 and pays homage to the original Nautilus reference 3700 with a similar design and aesthetic and with the addition of a centre seconds hand. It offered an alternative to larger sized “Jumbo” Nautilus watches and was made in a large array of styles in all four case metals as well as in two-tone cases. The reference 3800 is an iconic and important watch suitably sized for a man's or lady's wrist.

Within the reference 3800 family numerous dial options were offered, including jeweled dials, black, white and gilt dials, as well as versions with various forms of baton markers and Roman numerals.

Different versions of reference 3800/1 in regard to case material and dial layout are described and illustrated in Patek Philippe Steel Watches, John Goldberger, p. 372-373.