Esharp
1469
Wouldn't look good on my wrist either...
...I don't think it would even look good on Mrs E.
I do wonder how it came to be.
Scene: PP's offices, one morning in Switzerland in 2011...
"Good morning, Mr. Stern. How are you today?"
"Very well, thank you. I was just thinking - it's the Chinese Year of the Dragon coming up soon, you know. We should do something with that, because sheep like they'll have in 2015 are pretty hard to sell, although I bet our pals at VC will put out something amusing even then. Anyway, everyone likes dragons. What could we do?"
"Boss-man, that's a good question. How about a dragon dial on a Twenty-4, limited edition of 100?"
"Nah, too ordinary. Let's do something that's good auction material in a few years!"
"Hmmm, well I've got a whole heap of small diamonds lying around...why don't we pop them into a unique piece? Maybe use a crazy case...I know...a super-size 50mm Aquanaut minute repeater chronograph perpetual calendar tourbillon, with diamond-studded movement plates and an enamel dial! And we can get a sports or music star to lend his name to it. Finally, we'll be able to play in the big leagues with Jacob & Co., Hublot and AP!"
"Easy there, son. Let's use those diamonds on a case, and play around with a cool multi-coloured enamel dial, but we'll have none of that nouveau-riche gaudiness around here. Stick to a simple movement. Let's not complicate things."
"Yes sir...but instead of a normal case, can I at least use a Nautilus as the donor watch?"
"Well, something seems a bit odd about taking our original steel sports watch and turning it into a precious-metal, diamond-encrusted bauble...but I'm in a good mood today...go for it!"
OK, so you probably figured out it's not to my taste. That said, the dragon is fabulous, and I quite like the way the tail and head are part of the bezel, along with the other decorations. Plus of course one way to make sure a Nautilus bezel doesn't get scratched up is to replace the metal with diamonds!
More seriously, I wonder how are pieces like this are conceived...
Best
E.
More posts:
What is a Nautilus?
To a watch savant, the word Nautilus has only one meaning... But do we even remember what a Nautilus is? Outside of the watch context? I think of the submarine captained by Captain Nemo in the famous Jules Verne classic. FYI. The first nuclear powered sub...
Nice thought and maybe a good reason ...
for Anthony to get an even bigger aquarium :-) Cheers, Oliver
Agreed...
They're attractive, and they bob up and down when they swim making them somewhat amusing to watch. Would make a nice pet for Anthony!
I was aware of the third one, but that was the third one that came to mind...
When I hear Nautilus I think... 1. The watch. 2. The submarine. ...and sometimes... 3. The marine animal. The actual definition is commonly forgotten for me.
Very enjoyable read
Great idea to link Pateks Nautilus to all the other ones and bringing them into our mind with a very atmospheric picture. Moritz
Thanks Patrick for the post and info!
I miss my nautilus and will wear it soon :) Recently due to the hotness of the JLC Geophysic, I also related the nautilus to the Geophysic due to the USS Nautilus submariner Cheers Robin
Ahh, interesting connection.
Thanks for mentioning the connection of the JLC Geophysic. This watch world, naval world, is so intertwined.
Thank you for reading!
Thank you for reading and commenting on my post! I almost forgot what a Nautilus (sea animal) was!
Thank you Patrick for an enlightening post !!
Similar to a specie, the Patek Nautilus has evolved over the nears and now contains many versions with different complications, except that its evolution has happened relatively quickly (almost 40 years) to the animal world. Cheers, Gordon
It's amazing how the Nautilus has evolved so much in so little time...
Nautilus = Patek Philippe watch nautilus = the animal from the sea It's amazing how the Nautilus has evolved and that there have been so many different versions over the past 40 years. While the nautilus has probably evolved relatively little for the past...
Yes Patrick, I am missing a Nautilus in my collection & a China LE Nautilus then...
I will truly be broke if I were to be fortunate enough to get an allocation !!
"a China LE Nautilus then ..."
Your wish is my command and it is super, super LE - piece unique: :-) :-) :-) Oliver ...
Yes Oliver, this unique China LE Nautilus came out...
in 2012 for the Year of the Dragon Think it just came out for a recent auction Wonder how it did ??
I don't want to know...
I don't want to know about how much this watch went for at auction. It's probably a terribly high number. The watch is a very formal party watch. You can't wear that to the office unless you're some movie/music star.
Hi Patrick, this Nautilus diamond dragon watch is not a formal watch but is
a collection of diamonds that happens to be housed in Nautilus case and bracelet !!
You're right...
It is just a piece of art with diamonds that happens to use the Nautilus as its canvas. In the future, the museum will look like this: Collection of jewels arranged in the shape of a dragon, dragon itself in enamel glass. Celebrating the spirituality of t...
Wouldn't look good on my wrist either...
...I don't think it would even look good on Mrs E. That piece certainly is remarkable - extraordinary! I do wonder how it came to be. Scene: PP's offices, one morning in Switzerland in 2011... "Good morning, Mr. Stern. How are you today?" "Very well, than...
