DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles
A year ago, we began the ‘Vertical Collection’ series where we highlight watches from the same maison that are considered ‘must haves’. These watches may not be the most commercially successful, nor the most horologically significant. But they are selected on the basis that they represent the values of the brand and have become icons. We previously scoured the A. Lange & Söhne collection to name three essential Langes; now, we do the same for Patek Philippe, one of the oldest, most revered watch manufacturers in the world. As before, we intentionally limit ourselves to just three selections here to serve as a base.
The Vertical Collection
Since May 1st, 1839, Patek Philippe has been perpetuating the tradition of Genevan watchmaking and has done so without interruption. As the last family-owned, independent watch manufacturer in Geneva, Patek Philippe enjoys absolute creative freedom to design and produce its timepieces. It is one of the most respected watch brands in the world today, manufacturing some of the finest timepieces known to man. Over the years since its inception, Patek Philippe has enjoyed considerable success with its watches with many going down as icons. Here, we curate three essential Pateks that are a must to start a vertical collection with.
The Nautilus
The word ‘icon’ is thrown around a little too lightly these days, yet it is the perfect word to describe the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Debuted in 1976, the first of its kind being the Ref. 3700, the Nautilus represented a significant risk as it was incongruous with the brand’s usual lines of classic dress watches. However, with the rise of the Royal Oak from the brand’s biggest rival, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe had to retort – and thus the Nautilus was born. History will tell you that a former jewellery designer Gerald Genta was responsible for the design of the Nautilus (and also the Royal Oak) but the account of how the man got his inspiration has become somewhat of a lore that is passed on from watch enthusiast to watch enthusiast. In a 2009 interview, Genta described how the design of the Nautilus came to be:
‘It is a watch that I designed during the Basel Trade Fair. I was at the restaurant of a hotel and some people from Patek were sitting in one corner of the dining hall, while I was sitting alone in the other corner. I told the head-waiter: “Bring me a piece of paper and a pencil, I want to design something” and I designed the Nautilus while observing the people from Patek eating!… It was a sketch that I completed in 5 minutes… It very quickly met with success. I made the prototype in my studio and its success was accelerated.’
The Nautilus, along with the Royal Oak belonged to a completely novel genre of watches back in the 1970s. They were the first luxury steel sports watches, as expensive as their gold, dressier counterparts. Today, having grown into lines of their own, the Nautilus and Royal Oak are perhaps […]
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Article from: DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles, by Frank Chuo
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