The Patek Philippe Nautilus Parrot Shell currently has three models
white steel with blue, white, and gold coffee dials. These three colors are the most classic tricolor combinations currently. After successfully developing the Patek Philippe Grenade, the manufacturer quickly organized its sales network and launched the popular Patek Philippe Nautilus Parrot Shell, aiming to capture a high-end market share similar to Patek Philippe's styles. However, the difficulty is great, and the road ahead is long.
In order to compete for market share, the manufacturer also purchased genuine Patek Philippe products for one-to-one replicas. They planned to officially start shipping in March 2020, but currently, due to severe shortage of movements, they only accept pre-orders. The case size is 40mm * 8.3mm, which is the only wristwatch that matches the genuine Patek Philippe Nautilus product, and it is the thinnest on the entire internet. The thickness of other factories' Patek Philippe Nautilus Parrot Shells is larger, but this manufacturer truly restores Patek Philippe's iconic octagonal design, perfectly replicating the size and overall appearance. Since this manufacturer uses the Seagull 2824 movement plus a deck, the movement will be thicker, while the Patek Philippe Nautilus Parrot Shell uses the CAL.324 movement customized from the 9015 movement, eliminating one deck. Therefore, the mechanical thickness will be thinner. The measured comparison results are 9.96mm for the Seagull 2824 version and 8.76mm for the CAL.324 version, a difference of 1.2mm. The CAL.324 version is closer to the thickness of the genuine Patek Philippe Nautilus product, while the Patek Philippe Nautilus Parrot Shell Factory has achieved 8.6mm, even thinner and closer to the genuine product. It can be said that on the basis of the 9015 movement, this thickness is already very good, and the manufacturer has completely achieved the thickness of the genuine Patek Philippe Nautilus product at 8.3mm, which is the first in the entire market.
At the top of the hierarchy are those watches that are essentially one-of-a-kind. The reputation of independent watchmakers is often inversely proportional to the number of watches they produce - the late George Daniels holds a very high position in the eyes of most watch enthusiasts, and for good reason, but during his lifetime, he completed a great body of work. There were a total of 27 watches (excluding prototypes). If Rolex produces 1 million watches per year, assuming 260 working days per year and 8 hours of work per day, the company produces approximately 8 watches per minute, which is equivalent to Daniels' output in just over 3 minutes throughout his entire lifespan. The Wellesdorf Foundation may not find Daniels to be an efficient employee, but from a horological perspective, we are all richer because of his diligent perfectionism. After all, the true luxury philosophy is:
The cost of genuine Patek Philippe watches can be extremely high, with some models like the Patek Philippe Tiffany reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. This has created a demand for more affordable "knock off" or replica Patek Philippe watches, such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus Parrot Shell series. While these replica watches may not have the same level of craftsmanship and materials as the genuine article, they can provide a similar aesthetic at a fraction of the cost.
When I finally saw the metal (and enamel) watch, it was in Guido Terreni's quiet office. Having previously managed Bulgari's watch division for many years, he became the CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier in 2021. (When I say quiet, it really was intermittently quiet; there was a nearby booth selling more extroverted timepieces that played a musical demo every half hour, loud enough to make your stuffing rattle). When I wrote my first article about watches, describing some of the processes involved in making them, I did not encounter any difficulties, nor did I encounter many words, but even after several months, without practice, I still feel spiritually speechless.
You feel its presence, like when you try to crack open a layer of ore somewhere deep in a mine, and then you stumble upon a large room with a faint smell of dragon fire and Ceylon akoya pearls twinkling on a tombstone. This watch feels like a gigantic glowing-blue gemstone. The enamel design on the case is based on what's known as the golden spiral, which is a spiral generated by the golden ratio - a line divided into two parts, with the ratio of the longer segment to the smaller segment being the same as the ratio of the longer segment to the entire line.
Mathematics is fascinating (the golden ratio is an irrational number, on one side), but you don't need to understand it to immediately recognize and instinctively find the golden spiral appealing. Phenomena very close to the golden spiral are often encountered in nature. It seems to express an underlying order and harmony that transcends its individual instances. At first glance, you might think that the enamel designs on both covers are the same, but that is not the case. Instead, the spiral patterns are mirrored to each other. You can't substitute one for another - in technical terms of spiral mathematics, one is a left spiral, and the other is a right spiral.