PATEK PHILIPPE STEEL NAUTILUS WITH ROYAL PROVENANCE, REF. 3900/1A

With its instantly recognizable, boldly designed case and bracelet, together with its white matte ribbed dial, this unique design is nothing short of wearable art. It is hard to believe that the Nautilus was once quite difficult to sell when it was originally made because it was considered too oversized for the era. Patek Philippe addressed this size issue by offering a variety of options for both men and women. For men, there was the jumbo ref. 3700 and later the mid-sized ref. 3800. For the ladies, the smaller ref. 4700 was offered with a variety of jeweled options. And then there was the rare enigma of the ref. 3900. Made with a men’s reference number (starting with the number 3) and combined with a quartz movement, the ref. 3900 was made to be worn by a man or a woman. Made in small numbers, the ref. 3900 is now attracting the attention as collectors look to complete collection verticals with this difficult to find reference. A white dial 3900 is one of the rarest variants and this perfectly preserved example checks the boxes of the most discriminating collector. Add to the equation this is a Nautilus previously owned by Prince Tewfik of Egypt and this watch is a unicorn within the world Nautilus that we will never see again. It is a near mint example, ready to wear, and makes a large statement,

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