Recently, the Gerald Genta designed classic Patek Philippe Nautilus watch underwent a modern re-sizing. Up to about 43mm wide, the new size of the classic looking diving reinvigorates the watch’s character. I must admit that I was not taken by the Nautilus design when I first viewed it a few years back. It looked too simple, and a bit dated. It is of course a design from the 1970s. The long and thin rounded hands and hour markers felt basic, and the horizontal texturing on the dial was something I wasn’t used to. Revisiting the style of the watch a few years after first viewing it, I love it.  There must be something about looking at 1000s of watch designs and then coming back to something honestly well put together that garners appreciation. I now give credit to Patek Philippe and Gerald Genta for what is a timeless and original look. You might compare the look of the Nautilus to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak watch. This is no coincidence as they both share Gerald Genta as the designer.

In the 1970s watches like the Nautilus were ground breaking. They offered something you didn’t see much of before. New styles of luxury sport watches. At high prices to match. I believe that the Nautilus is still one of the most expensive sport watches given what you get, but it is worth it. Not only are you getting something from the Patek Philippe brand, but also an in-house made movement, and world class Swiss watch finishing that really isn’t beat anywhere else. You can view the movement through the sapphire caseback window with ease on the Jumbo version of the Nautilus watch, complete with Calatrava cross signed rotor.

With an obvious nautical theme, the Nautilus plays nicely on land and sea, but you don’t want to expose this beautiful rose gold version to diving too often. You can imagine that a solid gold Patek Philippe watch doesn’t come cheap. Thankfully on JamesList right now, you can find this watch for about $25,000. This is about the retail price for the steel version of this hard to find watch. This model comes on the alligator strap with signature lug design that results in a  very comfortable fit for this thinner than expected luxury timepiece.

See this Patek Philippe rose gold Jumbo Nautilus watch available on JamesList.com here.