Patek Philippe

Hi guys, I'm new here and am seeking guidance.  I like the Nautilus but I see a huge range in prices for these used watches.

Is there a particular model that is "most affordable" compared to the others?  I can't spend more than $10k, and am hoping I can do this for around $7,500.  Is the Nautilus 3900 the bottom of the line Stainless Steel Patek?  I just don't understand how some Nautiluses in Stainless are $35,000 and others are $7,500 - would this be the age of the units driving up or down the price?

Thanks for any guidance you might offer!

 

Based on your budget, I would suspect the 3900 (quartz) or the 3800 (automatic) is where you will need to look.  As I recall, the case on the 3900 is slightly smaller than the 3800.  The other versions will most likely be beyond the range you indicated.

Condition for these older pieces will vary so be careful. Hope you find a good one.

as a voice of experience, you will need to take into consideration the costs of maintenance. the purchase price may be below your $10k max, but an overhaul and replacement of parts may put you in above the $10k total.

THAT is sound advice.  I guess a servicing can run up to about $2,000 I imagine.  Thanks whit and mj for this assistance.  I am also looking at Audemars P Royal Oak at this point, too, seems in the same under $10,000 range for a number of models and a bit newer, too.

I'll only have to service the thing a couple times in my lifetime, I imagine?

I'll make sure I post whatever I do get - looking forward to owning a decent watch!

If you only plan on living for another 15 years or so, then your service estimate is about right. On that basis you might want to start training the next generation who will inherit your watch to appreciate the finer points of Patek Philippe ownership.

a complete overhaul is about $1000. My 3800 needed an overhaul plus a new gold rotor b/c of worn out bearings which was another $1000. So yes $2000 is a very real maintenance cost. Hopefully the watch will not need such an expensive service for awhile.....

How old was the watch when a rotor replacement was necessary?

A regular service for a time & date watch is $750 according to the price list at Patek dot c0m

The watch was brought in for service because the power reserve was only about 26 hours or so. I purchased the watch in November 2009 and Henri Stern did not have any records of the watch being serviced. This does not mean the watch was never serviced, just that it was not serviced by Henri Stern. Assuming it was never serviced, then the distance between manufacture and this service date was approximately 19 years (manufactured in 1991). This does not sound like an issue, assuming the watch was never serviced. But what if it was serviced a few years earlier by a Patek AD?

$750 for a service is still not cheap but then again you are dealing with Patek.

That sounds good - the prospect that the watch may not need a servicing for 20 years, though this is on a brand new watch, and it DID need a service at 20 years.

Considering the watches I'm looking at are already 20-30 years old...  Does this imply that the things start wearing out eventually?  I mean, it sounds like a car - after 20 years they tend to erode pretty quickly.  Some people pass their old cars on to the next generation, but I'm not in the mood to give my son a broken watch.

I say this in part because Audemars Piguet also states their service prices, but they caveat that the rates only apply to watches of 25 years or less!  Patek states pretty clearly "these are maximum public prices", which is reassuring.  Piguet's means to me: 25 year warranty.  I'll need three just to get me through my own lifetime, never mind my kid's!

This in mind - anyone have experience with old Pateks, say, for example, a repairman saying "Oh well, it's really old a lot of parts are blown out" or "it took forever to fix, so I had to charge double" ...  ?

you get more bang for the buck with AP in your price range, either AP 15300 or AP 15202.

I would get the newest watch you can find unless you don't mind having to service/refurbish it sooner than later.

Some Patek watches, especially grand complications, do not fit within the "maximum cost" box. Patek is one of the few watch manufactures that will service ANY watch made by them. Period. if patek does not have the part, patek will make the part. i have no idea how much that manufacturing process costs. i have heard that for some super high end complications (minute repeaters), service costs are measured hourly, not by a flat rate (regardless of time required to complete the task).

That's how long the lubricants last if the watch is kept running. (They last somewhat longer if the watch is not run constantly.) If the watch is kept running without lubricant, it (1) will perform poorly and (2) will grind itself to pieces. Thus, you need to factor relatively frequent servicing into your budget.

However, Patek itself is not the only place to get a Patek serviced. While it is hard for independent watchmakers to obtain replacement parts, for normal servicing where parts are not required you can pay a lot less. Also, you can get the work done in a week or two instead of the many months that Patek service seems to require.

That's a great point: just like a car, with the watch you can skimp on regular servicing and oil changes, and pay more to replace worn out parts later.  Very good ideas.  On a watch of this age I would likely take it to a regular jeweler and have him oil it up every now and that at a lower cost than Patek.

I'm gearing towards the automatic 3800 rather than the quartz 3900.  I can't beleive how few blue dials there are out there in the $10k and under price range for me - by far the majority are black.  Was there a year that they started making blue dials, and as I am looking for a watch at least 9 years old, I will be unable to find one unless I go newer (and more expensive)?