A Gold Nautilus Made for the Sultan of Oman Comes to Christie's Geneva
A watch made for Sultan Qaboos of Oman, kept by the man who received it, is offered for the first time in Christie's November sale.
Christie's Rare Watches sale at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva on 9 November 2026 is led by a 1978 Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700/1 in yellow gold with the Khanjar emblem of Oman on the dial. Haute Time reports that it comes directly from its first owner and carries an estimate of CHF 500,000 to 1,000,000. The sale has not yet taken place.
The sale
Christie's holds its Rare Watches auction in Geneva on Monday 9 November 2026 at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, with viewing from 5 to 8 November. According to Haute Time, the sale has 218 lots, including more than 35 vintage watches and 39 by independent makers, seven of them unique pieces. The lead lot is a yellow gold Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700/1 made in 1978 for Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman.
What a Khanjar dial is
The khanjar is the curved dagger on Oman's national emblem. In the 1970s and 1980s the Sultan ordered watches from the leading Swiss houses with the emblem on the dial, to be given as presentation pieces. On this Nautilus it sits above six o'clock on the blue dial.
The Nautilus itself was launched in 1976, designed by Gérald Genta, and the original ref. 3700 is now among the most collected sports watches of its era. Most were made in steel. Gold examples with a Khanjar dial are very rare: Haute Time reports that five yellow gold Khanjar 3700s were publicly known before this one surfaced.
A watch with its story intact
What makes this lot stand out is its history. Haute Time reports that it comes directly from its original owner, a man who worked close to the Sultan and was given the watch by him, and that he has kept it ever since. It is described as being in original condition, and Haute Time gives Christie's estimate as CHF 500,000 to 1,000,000.
Other lots in the sale include a 1948 Patek Philippe ref. 1518, the first perpetual calendar chronograph made in series, and five F.P. Journe watches from a set once owned by Michael Schumacher, offered one by one. This is a preview: we will not guess at results.
Why provenance and presentation dials matter
Royal and state presentation dials, from Oman, the Gulf states and elsewhere, are a field of their own, and collectors check them hard because dials can be added or altered later. What gives a watch like this its standing is the chain of ownership, the originality of the dial and case, and documentation such as an archive extract. If you own a watch with an unusual dial, a dedication or a retailer's name, keep every paper with it and have it examined before any restoration.
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- Haute Time, "A Sultan's Nautilus and Schumacher's F.P. Journe lead Christie's Geneva", 19 Oct 2026
- Hairspring, "Oman Khanjar dial 3700 Patek Philippe Nautilus" (background on Khanjar 3700s)
- Christie's, Rare Watches, Geneva, 9 November 2026
Details and estimate as reported by Haute Time from Christie's. Mozeris Fine Antiques is not connected with Christie's or Patek Philippe. No auction-house images are used; the photograph shows a watch from our own stock.
