Year: 1987
Reference No: 3800/3
Movement No: 1'426'159
Case No: 2'819'649
Model Name: Nautilus
Material: Platinum and diamonds
Calibre: Automatic, cal. 335, 29 jewels
Bracelet/Strap: Platinum Patek Philippe bracelet, max length 180mm
Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp
Accessories: Accompanied by Villiger Invoice Receipt dated 2nd December 2019 and Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch with matte black dial and 11 diamonds hour markers and an overall total count of 40 diamonds 1987 and its subsequent sale on 24 July 1987.

Patek Philippe introduced the mid-size reference 3800, with a reduced diameter of 37.5mm in 1981. The reference 3800 was offered with greater dial and material configurations compared to the ref 3700, it is estimated by scholars that there were approximately 20 different dial/case variations for the model. The dials were made by the Stern creations and the four "main" options that were commonly seen were dark blue with baton markers, white with baton markers, charcoal grey with Arabic numerals and black with applied roman numerals. Extremely fashionable and rare, the present timepiece showcases beautifully set diamonds on the dial instead of baton indexes. To further add to its elegance and refinement, the watch was further adorned with a single row of diamonds on the bezel. The greater variety further points out at the attempt from Patek Philippe to bring the Nautilus design to a wider audience. Another interesting aspect to note from this exceptionally rare 3800 is its date disk. There were two different colors of date discs in use throughout the production: a black disk with white numerals, and a white one with black numerals. Research has shown that black disks with white numerals were exclusively used in very early stages of production. A transition was made around the 90's with white disks and black numerals with the black disks seemingly disappearing from production. Just like the Patek Philippe reference 3700, we can notice minute evolutions on the dial signatures used by the Manufacture. The first peculiarity to notice is the use, or lack of, an accent above the second “E” in “GENEVE”. Scholarship has noticed that there have been fewer examples with the accent, like the present timepiece, intrinsically rendering the timepiece rarer, with most of the production not having one. Another peculiarity to notice is the thickness of the font that has changed from lighter in earlier production series to thicker in later production examples. Most importantly, the present timepiece is cased in platinum, an extremely rare and infrequent case used for the reference 3800 collection, the present example is one of only 16 known ref 3800/3 in platium knoen.. The three most seen metal types from the collection where yellow gold, stainless steel and two-tone. Preserved in excellent overall condition, the present timepiece truly embodies the meaning of the word "rare" - its allure, charm and compact size make the present timepiece an excellent companion that can be dressed up or down, and can accompany you during the night for special occasions or for your day to day, making this an occasion that the most discerning and forward-looking collector will unlikely miss out on.