Grail hunting again - Patek Nautilus

[yeti]

Miguel Alvarez said:

When do you think you'll get it?

I have an October deadline to raise the money, so a month basically! Better get some ads done over the weekend

And not my favourite Patek either; but it is my favourite steel sports watch and currently the gold dress watch scene is saturated in the watch box.

I see me wearing it most days TBH, it's never 'not' appropriate as I don't wear a suit to work.

Edited by yeti on Thursday 28th August 16:43

[PJ S]

yeti said:

No surprise there. And I mean that in a nice way

Indeed, as you'll have read as much on TZ previously.

yeti said:

Not sure you have understood the registers - the watch has no running seconds hand so the central pinion seconds is for the chrono, measuring a minute in the standard way. It has a flyback mechanism so if you want to run the seconds constantly (how it was conceived) then the chrono simply starts by using the flyback. The sub dial is minutes and hours.

You're correct – I should've realised with the inner track being hours, the outer was minutes – nonetheless, it's not a brilliant execution, but I understand their logic for doing it.

yeti said:

Fair enough. I had an AP ROO and loved it but I prefer the Patek version of Genta's design. The VC is however excellent value pre-owned at this end of the market.

Perhaps, but remember we're not talking about the watch overall, just the bracelet aspect – of which I find VC's design to be the most attention grabbing. The others can be looked at and fondled for a brief period, but that's the height of it – the VC would have me pouring over its detail.

yeti said:

I'm buying it at a level that I could make a huge profit immediately. It will be an appreciating asset until the day it's sold even factoring in a service every 5-7 years.

So you're going for this one, even though it's not the one you'd have ideally wanted, because the price is right, and you get to blot your copybook with a landmark achievement?
If I've gauged that correctly, then fair dues – but I do wonder if you'll be able to sit back and feel contented in the medium term.

yeti said:

It will be hard to get into the other high end brands now, impossible in fact without selling one of the major pieces first so that is a collection killer. I also want the man jewellery as you call it to be a daily wearable; I wear the Duo and Breguet when I feel like it, everything in the box sees the light of day.

That's good the hear they're not watch box queens, and they each get their fair turn on the wrist.
Had the circumstances not come about as they have, I'd have suggested to give yourself another 5 years at the very least, to chop and change, so that you could have sampled some of the others.
On the basis that you will be saving hard for the next acquisition, then I would strongly suggest you make it a GO PC in steel.
If gold can be accommodated without dominating the collection, then Moser & Cie's PC or Ulysse Nardin's El Toro is an absolute belter, but you're staring at the fatter end of £10K, which is double the GO and a hefty percentage more than the Moser.
Of course, if you're into that end of things, then foregoing the PC aspect altogether, you're looking at some delicious A Lange & Sohne, which may just complete your collection entirely.

Edited by PJ S on Friday 29th August 08:02

[yeti]

PJ S said:

So you're going for this one, even though it's not the one you'd have ideally wanted, because the price is right, and you get to blot your copybook with a landmark achievement?

I'll just pick that out - I desperately wanted this watch more than any other, I simply couldn't afford it. Going rate, it would have been around 10k more expensive than anything I had ever bought. A well-placed friend has sourced one for me at a price I can afford, just, with huge sacrifices to my collection. So yes, I am going for it because the price is right, but also in the right way. I'm not having it because it's a bargain!

PJ S said:

Of course, if you're into that end of things, then foregoing the PC aspect altogether, you're looking at some delicious A Lange & Sohne, which may just complete your collection entirely.

I think you may well be right with the ALS, but it would have to be the right one and I don't know which that is; perhaps the Datograph in Pt.

I am hankering after the GO Moonphase on SC (just PM'd the guy!), their PC does not work for me, it's too simple for my tastes. The IWC PC that Tim just bought though... I narrowly missed out on that and the owner actually traded it for Tim's GO PC! I was prepared to lose the Blancpain and the JLC Moonphase for that one and am now considering one in Germany if I can put the money together. The timing is bad!

[PJ S]

Ah, I thought it was a combination of scratching the PP itch and being able to do so because the price and timing was right – didn't realise this particular one was "the one".
I knew you were a chronograph style man, but presumed a regular Nautilus was sufficient for the itch relief.
In that case, sounds like you've been every fortunate.

Don't rush the PC – there'll be plenty of opportunity to acquire the IWC one in the future.

[PJ S]

yeti said:

I am hankering after the GO Moonphase on SC (just PM'd the guy!), their PC does not work for me, it's too simple for my tastes. The IWC PC that Tim just bought though... I narrowly missed out on that and the owner actually traded it for Tim's GO PC! I was prepared to lose the Blancpain and the JLC Moonphase for that one and am now considering one in Germany if I can put the money together. The timing is bad!

Presumably not this one – https://www.chrono24.com/en/iwc/potugieser-perpetu...
If pricing is similar, wouldn't a WG addition be better than another RG – I really don't think the YG with white dial is a good pairing, at least not in this instance.

[yeti]

[quote=PJ S]

Presumably not this one – https://www.chrono24.com/en/iwc/potugieser-perpetu...
If pricing is similar, wouldn't a WG addition be better than another RG – I really don't think the YG with white dial is a good pairing, at least not in this instance.[/quote

Not that one, red gold, black dial same as the one Java Tim just bought. I'm seriously considering shifting another 15k's worth to get one!

Meeting the GO guy tomorrow to see the Senator Moonphase

[100thmonkey]

I really like the simplicity, build, and quality of the Nautilus but without doubt one of my favorite watches to date is the Gold Aquanaut with its lovely brown rubber strap, so sporty yet so refined and smart

[NomduJour]

Always liked the Aquanaut, possibly more so because most people don't. However, there are two enormous and insurmountable problems with it - both Paul McCartney and Ed Sheeran have one.

Whilst it's enormously reassuring to know that the sort of braindead people who buy modern sports Rolexes (Rolices?) can't stand them, there's not really any coming back from an endorsement by those two.

[CardShark]

Yes it is a lot if £ for a steel watch however when we're talking about luxury items since when has vfm (apart from the feel good factor) come in to it? You've chopped plenty before for the Duometre so you know what you're doing, if you have an unrelenting urge and you have the physical means to obtain the PP then why not?

As others have said alluded to though, I think you're deluding yourself if you really think there's an end game

[yeti]

CardShark said:

I think you're deluding yourself if you really think there's an end game

I probably hadn't meade myself clear; I am only 'heading towards' the end game. It ends when I die naturally or Mrs yeti kills me, whichever is first.

[MYOB]

Where's H22 when you need him...?

[tomw2000]

Go for it. If I had the funds (or other pieces I wanted to trade out of) I would.

Life's too short.

I used to think I disliked the nautilus - not anymore. Never tried one on - but really like the blue dialed ones.

For me it'd be a 5960 or some Lange/Sohne variant (I accept neither are SS sports watches).

[yeti]

MYOB said:

Where's H22 when you need him...?

Embracing mediocrity no doubt...

[sad61t]

Liking 100thmonkey's white Nautilus - prefer the clean dial to the blue one.

I've been casting an eye at a 3900 for a while, but thinking 32mm might be a bit small even for my dainty wrist. That said, I've a vintage 33mm Helvetia that feels right, and a 40mm case would be far too big.
How does the Nautilus wear? the design looks quite different from a classical round dial.

(Getting past the AD's door to try one is another matter, especially as I'd be grailing not buying.)

[jshell]

100thmonkey said:

I really like the simplicity, build, and quality of the Nautilus but without doubt one of my favorite watches to date is the Gold Aquanaut with its lovely brown rubber strap, so sporty yet so refined and smart

I really don't mean to be rude, so please don't take offence, when I say that had those pieces not been sporting the name "Patek Phillipe", then they would be overlooked almost completely by almost everyone.

As for the chrono, it's just plain ugly IMHO.

[yeti]

jshell said:

I really don't mean to be rude, so please don't take offence, when I say that had those pieces not been sporting the name "Patek Phillipe", then they would be overlooked almost completely by almost everyone.

Not meaning to be rude, so please don't take offense (et cetera), but why on earth would you think you know the mind of 'almost everyone'? And how far these people you believe you speak for might overlook things?

[CardShark]

jshell said:

I really don't mean to be rude, so please don't take offence, when I say that had those pieces not been sporting the name "Patek Phillipe", then they would be overlooked almost completely by almost everyone.

Considering most people couldn't give a monkey's what other people wear that would come as no surprise, and of those that do care and know a little about watches would recognise a Nautilus from 50 paces even without the branding

There was recent thread on TZ about the 5711, some people weren't afraid to offer a negative opinion and others couldn't heap enough praise; as always, individuals milage may vary.

Edited by CardShark on Friday 29th August 16:42

[yeti]

NeMiSiS said:

IMHO of course.

Naturally



It is a style that divides opinions, no doubt about that! As I said, I wasn't bothered until i tried one on and saw how it was made. It's really a thing of wonder, IMHO of course

[MYOB]

NeMiSiS said:

...until your mental illness passes....

All this constant buying and selling watches for a hobby and striving for the non-existence grail...you need a therapist

IMHO of course

[Debaser]

The 5980 is a great watch, go for it.

In response to the comment above, I'm no fan of 'Patek Philippe' - in fact I think most of their watches (until you get to the really complicated ones) are pretty dull, but the Nautilus really stands out.