3800G Patek Philippe Nautilus

This is not what it appears at first glance. Sure, it’s a Nautilus. And yes, it’s the mid-sized 3800. But it’s the 3800G. G as in white gold. And there really aren’t many of these. While you’ll trip and find a yellow gold or steel, the other three metals are the tiniest fraction of production. It’s over double the value of a 3800A in steel, but well under half the production as well. Move further down the rarity scale to pink gold, and many estimates there are only 10 examples. But here, this looks like every other 3800A. You’ll probably be the only one who ever knows what this is, save for the prior owner.

The mid-sized 3800 Nautilus is 37.5mm, which was actually the same diameter as the Jumbo 222, interestingly. And it’s a fascinating corner of collecting. The 3800 was released in 1981 and broke the full-sized 3700 formula with centre seconds. Interestingly, it was more expensive at the time (retail was $3000 in steel vs $2800 for the 3700A). White gold was uncommon enough to not even be on that price list, by the way, where yellow was. The reference was long dismissed as a lady’s piece only in the decades immediately following release. Now, slowly, everyone has realized what a damn good proportion the 3800 offers.

There is an immense variability in dial configurations that were available. Starting with the basics, this is tritium, which rules. There are white dials, radial dials, ‘telephone’ dials, ceramic dials (really), Roman dials, and different date discs. And there are different signature styles, with thin and thin fonts, with and without accent. But crucially, they’re all a Monobloc as Genta intended (take note, AP). This isn’t even scratching the surface. So I’ll go further. You get green type 6 & 7 dials, there is a serial on the inside of the caseback below the movement where the last 3 digits match those on the back of the ear, there’s a small star under the left ear and no one knows why. This is a wildly attractive watch with a ton to learn, and that’s jet fuel for collectors and enthusiasts who read this kind of thing. So, if you’re considering a 5711, it might worth asking: why exactly?

This example looks mega. The case is sharp, the hallmarks are deep. Dial tritium appears to have gone golden, which only compliments the deep navy the dial has aged toward. It doesn't have its set, but I wouldn't let that slow you down. It comes from a well-regarded Los Angeles retailer.