Established in the mid-19th century, Patek Philippe has maintained its reputation as one of the leading luxury Swiss watchmakers in the market. The brand has produced mechanically advanced timepieces over the years. Its watches are not only accurate and durable but also fashionable. One of the most outstanding watches produced by the brand is the Patek Philippe Nautilus.
Authentic Patek Philippe Nautilus
Originally launched into the market in 1977, the Nautilus achieved immediate success and worldwide popularity. Given its gorgeous look, impeccable functionality and outstanding durability, the watch is bound to be very expensive. As an alternative to the high-cost authentic Patek Philippe Nautilus, there are replicas of the watch available in the market at relatively lower costs.
These replicas bear remarkable similarities to the genuine timepiece that distinguishing them can be quite tricky. The following is a comparison between an authentic and fake Patek Philippe Nautilus watch.
The dials is one of the features of the Patek Philippe Nautilus that you can use to spot the differences between an authentic and knock off version of the watch. The genuine watch has a characteristically smooth black and blue dial with a distinctive gradient finish. The dial also has embossed horizontal grooves that run throughout its expanse. The dial is brought out different on a replica of the watch. While the replica also has a blue and black color, the authentic watch has a more electric blue and black tone to it. The color gradient also exists only towards the edges of the dial as opposed to the authentic Patek Philippe Nautilus in which the color gradient begins from the center towards the edges. The horizontal grooves are also deeper and wider in the genuine watch.
While the case and bezel of a fake and authentic Patek Philippe Nautilus are almost identical, there are a few differences that can be seen upon a closer look. Among the similarities is the fact that both versions consist of a porthole design case. The bezel is screwed onto the case like a porthole. The case measures 43mm in diameter and is a separate part from the case back. The shape of the bezel is where the difference can be noticed. For an authentic Patek Philippe Nautilus, the bezel is prominently octagonal shaped with outwardly curving sides. For a replica of the watch, the bezel is octagonal and outwardly curved. The octagon is however mild and can easily be mistaken for being circular. The essence of the porthole design is also better captured in the genuine version of the watch than it is in the fake.
The bracelet of the Patek Philippe Nautilus is another interesting feature of the watch. Being a sports watch, the bracelet is designed to ensure the comfort of the wearer at all times. It is thin and sleek to make it both light and comfortable on the wrist. The folding mechanism is kept simple and efficient, consisting of two metals with neither finish nor engraving. The bracelet material is slightly thicker for the knock-off version of Patek Philippe Nautilus watch. The clasp of both the fake and authentic Patek Philippe are similar nonetheless. They have a safety flip lock that is included for security purposes. The flip lock protects the folding clasp from accidental opening. The flip lock contains a Patek Philippe logo in both fake and genuine watches.