The original Patek Philippe Nautilus replica, commissioned by Patek’s father-son ownership and management team of Henri and Philippe Stern and designed by watch world legend Gérald Genta, was 42 mm in diameter — huge by the standards of the day — and had an unusually shaped, exceptionally water-resistant (to 120 meters) steel case with two unusual, 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 replica, up to then known exclusively for its precious-metal dress cheap replica watches, a chunky, steel sports replica watches with an eye-popping price tag was news indeed. The replica watches was not an immediate hit, but later became one, earning the nickname “Jumbo” among collectors and spawning a slew of other versions over the subsequent decades.
The dial, here also in dark blue, benefits from the fake watches is enhanced size: there is room for an enlarged date aperture, which is set in a mirror-polished white-gold frame, and the similarly enlarged chronograph monocounter subdial at 6 o’clock makes for better legibility of the chronograph readouts. Its three concentric scales include a 12-hour counter on the outside, a minute counter from 1 to 30 in the middle, and another minute counter from 31 to 60 on the inside. Flawless Top Wesselton baguette and princess-cut diamonds are used for the applied hour markers. The horizontal Nautilus-style embossed pattern decorates the dial and the anniversary citation “1976 – 40 – 2016” has been placed on its upper half.