Launched in 1976, during the quartz crisis, the Nautilus is the second watch designed by Gerald Genta, after the Royal Oak in 1972. The shape of its case, very avant-garde for the time, reminds one of a porthole, which might explain its name after Captain Nemo's fictitious submarine, in Jules Verne's famous book Twenty Miles Under the Sea. The first reference is the 3700/1 manufactured with a 7.6 mm case, from 1976 to 1981. It is the most sought-after reference. The watch we present dates from 1976, and is therefore one of the very first Nautilus produced by the Manufacture. Beyond the obvious investment that this timepiece represents, it is above all a real milestone in the history of watchmaking. This particular model is called “Jumbo” due to the larger size of the case which was unusual at the time. As for the term “sigma”, it comes from the lower case Greek letter ‘sigma’ at the bottom of the dial which indicates the index-markers and hands manufactured from white gold.

The ‘sigma’ signature was a visual declaration of the use of precious materials, and was adopted by a number of manufactures throughout the 70’s. Only members of APRIOR (Association pour la Promotion Industrielle de l’Or) were entitled to use this mark; among them, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, IWC and Omega.