Christie’s auction house will be holding later this year a sale to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Patek Philippe Nautilus model. 

Christie’s international watch department will be holding sales in four major auction venues – Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong and New York - from October to December and in each venue 10 exceptional Nautilus models will be presented as a section entitled Patek Philippe Nautilus 40.

The 40 watches will cover the Nautilus production from the first model to the most recent, including many rare and fresh to market superlative examples of this beloved watch design, says a release.

The Nautilus Model was launched in 1976, when Patek Philippe was looking for a ‘sports’ watch combining a strong design and an inimitable personality.

The design was, and still is based upon the shape of a porthole found on virtually all maritime vessels.

The original model was the ref 3700/1 made in steel, created 137 years after the founding of the company and is one of the most sought-after timepieces at auction and Patek Philippe Nautilus 40 will be offering a selection of these exceptional collector items, including examples with rare variant dials and near mint and complete examples.

Today, the Nautilus is still in production and throughout time it has gained style through subtle and carefully calculated changes while preserving its original spirit of a classic, elegant sports watch.

At the time back of its launch, the Nautilus had a key role for Patek Philippe’s overall marketing strategy in response to the quartz revolution and the evolving fine watch market of the 1970s.

Patek Philippe, the last family owned independent watch maker in Geneva, was founded in 1839. For over 175 years, it has perpetuated the tradition of Genevan watchmaking, producing and assembling what experts agree to be among the most sought after watches in the world.

Christie’s holds the record price for any Nautilus model sold at auction, when ref 3700/031, made in 1982 sold for $909,319, against a pre-sale estimate of $220,000-420,000 on May 11, 2015 in Geneva.