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Ref 3800 a polarising reference - love or loathe
The ref 3800 is a bit of a red headed step child- its not the ref 3700 (grandpa) or the ref 5711 (hot young thing )
Why is this ?
Well for a start its size - 37.5mm Some may say this is too small for a sports watch . . well let me counter the ultimate sports watch - the daytona - it measure exactly the same 37 mm
Sure the large bezel makes the dial size a bit smaller but it sits perfectly on a small to medium wrist .
The case is thin 7.5mm and is very subtle
The dial is a stunning deep blue and similar to either the 3700 or the 5711
The second hand adds a bit of complexity ( and depth to the movement ) but in a good way. yes the ref 3700 is a simple two handed watch but I like the second hand ticking around the dial
The indices are white gold with tritium inlay - hence the sigma mark on the dial at 6 o clock - giving it a real vintage look and feel
The movement is a dependant on the age of the watch
early models had a "plain" cal 335 SC with no geneva seal and no gyromax. These were used until 1987 when the new cal 330 Sc was used . This had a Geneva seal . there were two generation with the first cal 330 134 having the Geneva seal and gyromax and the second iteration cal 330 194 having a slower beat of 21 600 cf to the earlier 28 800 Hz
The size is where this case seems to polarise the punters. It is 375 mm versus the giant ref 3700 ( 42 mm) , the same as the ref 5711.
Now if you have small to medium wrists and wear vintage pieces then this model may be for you . I wear a ref 96 at times so you can gauge my wrist size
It does not wear too small as some claim , but if you are currently wearing a gian 45 mm piece and it looks OK on your wrist then this model is not for you
Thanks to " A Collected gentleman " for the information . It has a brilliant write up with detailed info on this model and worth reading
In summary - if you collect and wear vintage pieces all the time then it is worth considering but if you are modern wearer being t Patek Rolex or even Panerai then I suspect this model is not for you
People - let s have a discussion around this watch
Julian
More posts:
Ref 3800 a polarising reference - love or loathe
The ref 3800 is a bit of a red headed step child- its not the ref 3700 (grandpa) or the ref 5711 (hot young thing ) Why is this ? Well for a start its size - 37.5mm Some may say this is too small for a sports watch . . well let me counter the ultimate spo...
I love the 3800
It wears really well on your wrist! Had a 5711 and let it go. Fell in love with my 3800. I will not let this one go… ...
Thanks Julian for a good post !
This Nautilus looks good on your wrist ! Enjoy it often !
I like this Nautilus,
also because it has a date window matching with the dial colour. This looks really great for me. I can’t live with a (standard) white date window on a dark dial since IMHO this ruins the whole design of the dial. I think this 37mm case fits your wrist per...
What’s not to like? It’s a beautiful reference
And as you say, if you have a small wrist. For your wrist size it’s obviously perfect. People are sometimes to fixated on certain references as “the right one to own”. Huge congratulations, J! It’s a wonderful watch.
