In the 1970s, when quartz technology was gaining steam, mechanical-watch makers were eager to retain, or regain, consumers’ attention. For Patek Philippe, the Nautilus, introduced in 1976, and designed by the famous Gérald Genta, was a way to do so. At 42 mm in diameter, it was huge by the standards of the day, and had an unusually shaped, water-resistant (to 120 meters) steel case with two odd, ear-like projections on either side. But the most notable feature of Reference 3700, as the first Nautilus was designated, was its price: $2,350. At the time, steel luxury watches were still a rarity. For Patek Philippe, until then known exclusively for its precious-metal dress watches, a chunky, steel sports watch with an eye-popping price tag was news indeed. The watch was not an immediate hit, but later became one, earning the nickname “Jumbo” among collectors.
2001 — Reference 5002 Sky-Moon Tourbillon
The Sky Moon Tourbillon, Reference 5002, was the most complicated wristwatch Patek Philippe had ever made. It was also the company’s first two-faced wristwatch. One side shows the time and a perpetual calendar, including a retrograde date indicator, day and month subdials, a moon-phase display and leap-year indicator. The watch’s other side shows sidereal time, a star map of the night sky and the angular motion of the moon. The tourbillon is not visible, but its presence is heralded by the word “tourbillon” inside the month subdial. The watch also has a minute repeater. The movement, which is manually wound, has 686 parts. When it was introduced, in 2001, the Patek Philippe Sky-Moon Tourbillon was priced at SF950,000 for the yellow-gold version shown here.
To read the entire list of 24 milestone Patek Philippe watches, including the stories behind iconic watches such as the first automatic-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch, the world’s thinnest split-seconds chronograph, and modern-day classics like the new Nautilus and Gondolo, download the complete article for $5.99 from the WatchTime online shop.
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