Nautilus 3700/1 project. Keep the dial, refinish or change to service dial?

[Turbo Racer]

I think I would pass on this watch myself. Have no idea what this market is, but at the asking price you mentioned, there are many options. If it were inexpensive to obtain, however, there is a certain charm to the patina. Or dare I say damage? If I owned this watch, I would be tempted to keep it as is aesthetically but have it fully serviced so it keeps good time.

[joa]

ok if you are ok w/ losing out on the deal and not already married to the idea of buying for 100k, then i would offer 80k (or even less!) and see what happens.

if they say yes, you could have a decent deal

if they say no, there is a chance that they will not be able to move it, and one more round of market panic selling will do wonders to their views :-)

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by Incroyable12

It sounds like the caseback would need to be laser welded and repolished.

Definitely. I got a badly dented 5930 lug and brought to Patek. They stated as 'laser case repair'


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by joa

ok if you are ok w/ losing out on the deal and not already married to the idea of buying for 100k, then i would offer 80k (or even less!) and see what happens.

if they say yes, you could have a decent deal

if they say no, there is a chance that they will not be able to move it, and one more round of market panic selling will do wonders to their views :-)

Indeed. I floated the idea that I'll pass 100k but may be considering if it's 80k. They said they'd wait for the result of Christie's auction ending on June 17th, a 3700 with service dial and hands that was estimated at usd150-200k by the auction house.

I checked on the site yesterday and couldn't find the auction result of the said 3700. So I'd imagine for 150k, no bids were entered.

I think they'd let it go at 80k but now I'm having a second thought thanks to you guys.

BTW I did check a dial and only 1 available with Beyer marking and looked clearly touched. The price....28k


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by Turbo Racer

I think I would pass on this watch myself. Have no idea what this market is, but at the asking price you mentioned, there are many options. If it were inexpensive to obtain, however, there is a certain charm to the patina. Or dare I say damage? If I owned this watch, I would be tempted to keep it as is aesthetically but have it fully serviced so it keeps good time.

Exactly right. Options are wide open for sports steel Patek touching the 100k Mark. I'm considering 5164, 5906 or even 5711


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by DonLee

I wanna say, if you were to do C), you might as well just replace with a different dial in good condition (or a modified one) and keep the original untouched and kept for safekeeping.

I even came across to the idea to request Patek to keep the old dial when they change it into a service dial. But not sure if it's even possible


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by solarpower44

Don't do it, a watch that heavily polished with all the replacement parts will never be worth close to $130 after all the repairs. It may be only worth half of that and even lower during the downturn economy.

Yes it may not but the seller used previous auction data for benchmark. We are in the middle of a downturn possibly recession, otherwise they would probably asking for 150k take it or leave it


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[rolexpatek363]

That watch is trashed at any price, please walk away.

[Tomas Eriksson]

B

[Turbo Racer]

Originally Posted by JasonBetts

Exactly right. Options are wide open for sports steel Patek touching the 100k Mark. I'm considering 5164, 5906 or even 5711


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Yes they are indeed! There is however some charm to this piece. Maybe I’m reacting to all of the pristine showpieces around and can appreciate the distressed appearance. Pp generally seen in high end board rooms and exclusive venues. This one looks like it’s spent more than a few seasons on the ranch in Montana! Please keep us updated. Very interesting thread!

[Incroyable12]

Maybe you could pull a Lagerfeld and have it coated in black. The black PVD coating with that distressed dial would look very cool.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ka...s-auction-2022

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by Incroyable12

Maybe you could pull a Lagerfeld and have it coated in black. The black PVD coating with that distressed dial would look very cool.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ka...s-auction-2022

Interesting. Didn't cross my mind but I think it's too adventurous. Hell I can't even walk like Sir Lagerfeld


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by Turbo Racer

Yes they are indeed! There is however some charm to this piece. Maybe I’m reacting to all of the pristine showpieces around and can appreciate the distressed appearance. Pp generally seen in high end board rooms and exclusive venues. This one looks like it’s spent more than a few seasons on the ranch in Montana! Please keep us updated. Very interesting thread!

You're right and that's why I stopped and am considering this piece. I'm a vintage guy myself and not really fancy the newer and blingy Patek but the asking price and the work that needs to be done on this pice may or may not be worth it


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[indianmachine]

I'm not sure how comparable it is, but this tropical dial example did sell for a strong price as-is https://www.phillips.com/detail/pate...e/CH080122/178

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by indianmachine

I'm not sure how comparable it is, but this tropical dial example did sell for a strong price as-is https://www.phillips.com/detail/pate...e/CH080122/178

Hmmm very interesting. Didn't see this one on my research. Thanks.

I guess in this weird vintage watch collecting universe, dials such as this might in fact be one of a kind and it fetched crazy value.

This particular one looks better in my eyes as the blue paint is dispersed equally in the grooves and made it look like a washout jeans. Maybe PHILLIPS called it 'one of a kind Nautilus Faded Jeans dial' *


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by indianmachine

I'm not sure how comparable it is, but this tropical dial example did sell for a strong price as-is https://www.phillips.com/detail/pate...e/CH080122/178

Holy Mama, just noticed that this one fetched more than double the maximum estimate.

The way Phillips marketed it and I Quote

"Serendipity can lead to amazing occurrences. The clearest example of this concept might be Fleming’s discovery of penicillin: he noticed that a lab culture coincidentally contaminated with a certain (penicillin-producing) mold would stop growing, and the first antibiotic was born.

A similar story can be told about tropical dials: imperfect batches of paint employed on some dials eventually become unstable which leads to the dial changing colour, with sometimes - such as this instance - absolutely marvellous results.

Words fall necessarily short when describing this copper-tropical dial: it simply has to be admired in person to appreciate the myriad hues it bestows on the beholder. We can only state with absolute certainty that the present watch is one of the most charismatic examples of reference 3700 to ever grace an auction room.
Compounding to its stellar looks, the watch is furthermore a completely new discovery, absolutely unknown to the general public. In fact, it resided since the day of its original sale in the same family: after enjoying the watch for a few years, the original owner gifted him to his son in the 1980s. Since then, it remained in his possession and spent most of its time in a safe."


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[Incroyable12]

That Phillips dial has faded to an almost bronze color which is quite attractive.

These tropical dials are basically a form of very sophisticated marketing aimed at collectors' desire for the rare.

[jfriedkin]

I have had several PP's restored by Patek. In this condition it is really your only option. The dial will continue to deteriorate and the case look very rough. Unless you like it in this condition (barn find).

Not sure of the timing from your location, but I would guess once you receive an estimate (which is currently 6-8 weeks) I think you looking at 18-36 weeks. Just the service of the movement (without any parts) is $1000, and I'm sure based on this condition it will need a few parts so figure $2000 to service the movement. The dial and hands I think could run another 2-4,000. Case refinishing - It's not just a basic polish for $300. I think it could easily run another 2,000+

I think a full restoration of the watch could be 6-10k. But then you have a "new" watch.

I would do this - if you want a near perfect 3700. The price seems right.

You'll also have some service history on the piece. which will be huge when it comes time to sell.

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by jfriedkin

I have had several PP's restored by Patek. In this condition it is really your only option. The dial will continue to deteriorate and the case look very rough. Unless you like it in this condition (barn find).

Not sure of the timing from your location, but I would guess once you receive an estimate (which is currently 6-8 weeks) I think you looking at 18-36 weeks. Just the service of the movement (without any parts) is $1000, and I'm sure based on this condition it will need a few parts so figure $2000 to service the movement. The dial and hands I think could run another 2-4,000. Case refinishing - It's not just a basic polish for $300. I think it could easily run another 2,000+

I think a full restoration of the watch could be 6-10k. But then you have a "new" watch.

I would do this - if you want a near perfect 3700. The price seems right.

You'll also have some service history on the piece. which will be huge when it comes time to sell.

Thanks for the input. I am prepared to throw in some $$$ for the restoration. Movement will definitely will have to go thru complete overhaul plus parts.

As for polishing / case restoration, it's a must too as the caseback was violated big time.

Now when it comes to the hands and dials, I think I'm gonna ask Patek not to touch them. I'll see how I like the watch after it's on my wrist for a couple of months.

But before all that, I need to bring the asking price down


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[rolexpatek363]

What on earth happened to that dial?

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

What on earth happened to that dial?

According to Phillips and I quote "it's a serendipity of a wrong paint mixture equivalent to the discovery of penicillin"


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[enthusiast]

Originally Posted by jfriedkin

Not sure of the timing from your location, but I would guess once you receive an estimate (which is currently 6-8 weeks) I think you looking at 18-36 weeks. Just the service of the movement (without any parts) is $1000, and I'm sure based on this condition it will need a few parts so figure $2000 to service the movement. The dial and hands I think could run another 2-4,000. Case refinishing - It's not just a basic polish for $300. I think it could easily run another 2,000+

I think a full restoration of the watch could be 6-10k. But then you have a "new" watch.

I would do this - if you want a near perfect 3700. The price seems right.

You'll also have some service history on the piece. which will be huge when it comes time to sell.

How can Patek turn a watch in a condition like this into a near perfect 3700?

Do any of you know which original parts of the 3700 are still available with Patek?

I have heard that the original dial and original bracelet are no longer available. Cases are supposedly still available, I am just not sure if those are original ones.

[HMHM]

Originally Posted by enthusiast

How can Patek turn a watch in a condition like this into a near perfect 3700?

Do any of you know which original parts of the 3700 are still available with Patek?

I have heard that the original dial and original bracelet are no longer available. Cases are supposedly still available, I am just not sure if those are original ones.

Patek are able to make parts for all of their releases right up to the very 1st Patek ever created if I remember the details correctly.

[enthusiast]

Originally Posted by HMHM

Patek are able to make parts for all of their releases right up to the very 1st Patek ever created if I remember the details correctly.

Yeah, I read that as well.

Does that imply that any beaten up 3700 can be turned into a "de facto" new 3700, with the exception of a sigma dial?

[joa]

Originally Posted by JasonBetts

According to Phillips and I quote "it's a serendipity of a wrong paint mixture equivalent to the discovery of penicillin"


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what an analogy the audacity)) comparing a watch paint-job gone wrong with a miracle drug that saved around 200 million lives :)

[jfriedkin]

Originally Posted by enthusiast

How can Patek turn a watch in a condition like this into a near perfect 3700?

Do any of you know which original parts of the 3700 are still available with Patek?

I have heard that the original dial and original bracelet are no longer available. Cases are supposedly still available, I am just not sure if those are original ones.

The dial is not a problem for PP. They are able to refinish the dial. And I am sure that PP would also be able to refurbish the bracelet and case.

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by HMHM

Patek are able to make parts for all of their releases right up to the very 1st Patek ever created if I remember the details correctly.

It is correct


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by jfriedkin

The dial is not a problem for PP. They are able to refinish the dial. And I am sure that PP would also be able to refurbish the bracelet and case.

Not sure if they're refinishing the dial but what I found out so far, for beaten up dial, if the owner doesn't mind it got changed, Patek will install a service dial with 'Swiss' only marking and all luminova lumes.

As for cases and bracelets, yes they still have stocks of blank cases (which they'll re-engraved the serial) or they make new ones.


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by joa

what an analogy the audacity)) comparing a watch paint-job gone wrong with a miracle drug that saved around 200 million lives :)

Hahahaha. Master class in marketing. Very successful one that is. 150k max estimate and hammer price at 387k


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[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by enthusiast

Yeah, I read that as well.

Does that imply that any beaten up 3700 can be turned into a "de facto" new 3700, with the exception of a sigma dial?

Pretty much so, with a budget of around 20-25k


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