Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800J Beyer

The Nautilus - a watch so revered today that the modern reference of the Nautilus is currently trading for four times its original retail price after the recent news of it being discontinued. This led the discussion of whether any Nautilus was still relatively undervalued today. Diving into the Patek Philippe Nautilus reference 3800/1J with Beyer signed dial. 

Yeah yeah Gerald Genta drew the Nautilus on a napkin in a restaurant - we know !

Beyer was not only the world’s first retailer of Patek Philippe, but it stands as the oldest watch retailer in the world. Let that sink in for a minute. The family owned boutique has been selling watches for the past 261 years, yes, you read that right. The store has seen the likes of brand new Patek 1518s and 2499s and minty fresh Rolex 8171s… oh man - what a time !

The family’s collection is showcased in the company’s museum in Zurich where visitors can travel back through time and discover some of the most important timepieces in history. From clocks and tools from the early 1800s, to a Rolex Deepsea Special - the museum really covers all parts of horology.

Anyways.. this rich heritage makes Beyer signed dials extremely well loved by collectors as it really showcases a very special relationship between two of the most important families in the watch world - the Beyers and the Sterns. 

Introduced in 1981, the Nautilus reference 3800 came to supplement its older sibling, the Nautilus Jumbo ref. 3700. Measuring in at 37,5mm the watch was surprisingly more expensive upon its release than its 42mm Jumbo counterpart. This mid-size reference was brought into production so as to appeal to a larger audience - smaller watches being favoured at the time. The other major difference between the 3800 and 3700 was the addition of a seconds hand.

The 3800 was made in a variety of different configurations, made in steel, two tone steel and yellow gold, yellow gold, rose gold, white gold and platinum. The rose gold variant being the rarest of all with only 10 pieces made and sold at the Geneva salon in 1990. Within the precious metal variants gem set examples were made with different sertissage options varying from fulling iced out watches, to baguette bezel and much much more.

A two piece case construction allows the watch to remain extremely thin at 7.5mm, it features a non screw down crown with a quickset date (some very early versions come without the quickset date). One of our favourite design points of the 3800 is the use of a black date wheel for early examples up until 1990. This makes the dial and date merge seamlessly and is a feature only found on the ref. 3800. 

The bracelet of the 3800 is extremely comfortable, in fact, I’ll go ahead and say the 3800 is the most comfortable Nautilus to me. It tapers exactly like the 3700/11 bracelet with the clasps of both of these watches being identical as well as for the 3900 (quartz 33mm version) - an interesting insight into Patek’s production strategy as the transition of the 3700/1 to 3700/11 and the introduction of the 3800 happened at the same time.

This similarity between 3700 and 3800 spreads into the dial with the type font of the Patek Philippe at 12 being the same for 3700/11 and 3800 dials. The reference 3800 is the Nautilus with the most variety in dials. Varying from lacquered to baguette to diamond and baton dials, the reference 3800 is fascinating to collect. I’m certain there are still dial variants of the 3800 still to be discovered.

The dial variants and different date discs and series make the 3800 extremely fascinating to collect. Contrary to the 3700, Patek seemed to have experimented far more with the 3800, allowing for an immense variation in the line in order to appeal to both a male and female clientele most probably. 

The different metals also allow for anyone to find the most fitting variation for ones liking. The piece is often said to be small, but I can only encourage collectors to go out and try one on - I’m certain you’ll be surprised at how amazing it looks and feels. The way I prefer to wear it is a little loose as it lets the watch hang off the back of your wrist a little (this really helped for mates who felt the watch was a little small). One thing to remember with the 3800 is that the case is 37,5mm - the perfect size, the only thing that makes it feel small is the very small dial opening (comparable to that of a ref 96) but if you overcome that, the watch is incredible to own and wear.

Compared to the current prices of Nautilus pieces on the grey market, the ref. 3800 seems like an absolute bargain to me. Directly descendant to the 3700 and with an immense range of dial configurations, one can very easily amass a few of them if they get carried away (case and point with me). Double signed and special dials will always be the most appealing, the double signature bringing a beautiful balance to the dial very similarly to the way the AP at 6 o’clock on the 5402 does. The premium on double signed pieces for 3800 are still quite soft and are much more important and interesting on a collector’s view than a regular old 5711. My tip for double signatures is to learn about the retailer and find one you are particularly drawn to rather than just go for the Tiffany due to hype. 

Some examples friends used when choosing a double signature :

“Beyer’s historical importance to Patek Philippe and Beyer’s tie to the German speaking world of horology made me pull the trigger” (German collector)

“Being American and having grown up in NYC, a Tiffany stamp felt most fitting”

“Gübelin sounds hilarious”