There are celebrities who wear watches , and then there are those who are watch guys . It should be clear by now that Brad Pitt , part-time casino robber and upcoming ex-race car driver , falls in the latter camp In addition to being a watch fan, Pitt and fellow A-lister George Clooney are gracing the cover of GQ’s September issue . But you might not have noticed that while Clooney is wearing an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra, Pitt took the opportunity to show off yet another killer timepiece in his collection: a vintage ref.
3800/1J, a solid-gold Patek Philippe Nautilus the maison introduced in 1981 as a smaller version of the groundbreaking, and larger, ref. 3700, nicknamed the “Jumbo.” (The 3800 has friends in high places: Jay-Z is also a fan!) Y’all probably know the story of the Nautilus by now: In the early '70s, legendary Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta was roped into designing a distinctive luxury sports model for Audemars Piguet.
The result of that hurried prompt was the Royal Oak , now one of the giants of the industry. Following the RO’s 1972 debut, Patek Philippe came to Genta to recreate the magic. The Nautilus, which debuted in 1976, played some of the same melodies as the Royal Oak—both are founding members of the esteemed luxury-sports watch club.
But the Nautilus manages to differentiate itself in many ways. The Patek is inspired by a ship’s porthole, the rounded octagon of the case is secured by two “ears,” which would allow the window to h.