PEAK SPORTS WATCH

Patek Philippe marks 50 years of the Nautilus

- KANOKPORN CHANASONGKRAM

The launch of Nautilus in 1976 provoked various responses, yet Patek Philippe believed in the enfant terrible.

The 50th anniversary is marked by limited editions as well as a thematic exhibition at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.

The exhibition looks back to the 1970s, when gold dress watches became incompatible with people pursuing a dynamic lifestyle. Hence, Patek Philippe elevated rugged stainless steel as a material for a robust yet luxurious timepiece, whose case was neither round nor rectangular while the octagonal bezel featured softened corners.

Embodying sporty elegance, the resulting Nautilus with an integrated bracelet “goes with a wet suit as well as with a tuxedo”, headlined in an ad.

The atypical case ensured an impressive water resistance of 120m, thanks to an architecture with a single bore for the winding stem and the octagonal bezel attached onto two hinges by four clamping screws.

The construction recalled portholes with a hinge-and-bolt locking system, like those on transatlantic ocean liners.