A heavyweight vintage Patek is about to test the market’s appetite for true scarcity. Bradford’s Jewelers Vault Auction closes on Sunday, December 14, 2025, with timed lots beginning to close at 9:00 AM MST in an online format that opens the floor to bidders worldwide. The sale includes more than 375 lots spanning estate diamonds, gold, platinum, fine gemstones, designer jewellery, and a strong bench of high-end watches.
At the centre of the buzz is a rare Patek Philippe 18K yellow-gold “Jumbo” Nautilus Ref. 3700/11J. Even within an auction that also lists familiar blue-chip names such as Cartier, Rolex, and Jaeger-LeCoultre, this Nautilus is positioned as the headline act for serious collectors.
Why the gravity? The Ref. 3700 line is the source code of the Nautilus story, a design family born from Gérald Genta’s now-legendary 1970s vision. The original Nautilus debut traces back to 1976, and its early references continue to define the segment’s peak of desirability.
Bradford’s catalogue notes that the 3700/11J was launched around 1980 and produced in a very small series. The auction’s description also points to another layer of appeal: the calibre 28-255, a movement linked to the revered ultra-thin lineage that helps explain why early Nautilus examples remain so compelling in hand, not just on paper.
Scarcity is the spark that turns collector interest into bidding pressure. Bradford’s research suggests that fewer than 300 examples of this model and its gold “sister” reference have appeared publicly to date, underscoring just how infrequently this configuration surfaces in the open market. While broader production estimates for gold 3700 variants can vary by source, the key point for bidders is simple: sightings are rare, and condition-driven demand remains intense.
For Canadian retailers and collectors watching from north of the border, this auction is also a useful read on the late-2025 temperature of the global vintage sports-watch market. The “Jumbo” Nautilus sits in that elite category where design history, mechanical pedigree, and supply constraints converge. Each new public appearance becomes a mini price-discovery event, watched by everyone from private collectors to dealers building inventory strategies for 2026.
Beyond the main event, the wider catalogue offers the kind of variety that fuels late-auction momentum: diamond rings, bold gold pieces, estate bracelets, gemstone statement jewellery, and timepieces that span eras and price bands. Bradford indicates that items have been vetted, photographed, and catalogued for remote bidding confidence, a critical factor for today’s cross-border buyers.
If the Nautilus ultimately steals the spotlight, it will not just be because it is a Patek. It will be because this specific reference represents the early, high-carat, low-visibility chapter of a model family that helped define modern luxury sport watch culture. When a watch like this enters an accessible online sale with a global bidding pool, the countdown becomes the story.
As December 14 approaches, expect the conversation to intensify across collector forums, dealer networks, and social feeds. Whether you are bidding, benchmarking, or simply watching market signals for the year ahead, Bradford’s Jewelers Vault Auction has become one of December’s most interesting litmus tests for vintage-watch demand.
