Footballer Sébastien Frey spotted wearing a Patek Philippe

Sébastien Frey, the French goalkeeper who became the fourth foreign player to accumulate the most appearances in Serie A history — with spells at Inter Milan, Parma, Fiorentina, and Genoa — was recently photographed wearing one of the most sought-after Nautilus references ever produced: the Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3710/1A with a Tiffany & Co. signed dial.

The Nautilus 3710/1A occupies a precise and important chapter in the reference's chronology. Launched in 1998 and discontinued in 2006, the ref. 3710 was the first Nautilus to carry a complication beyond a simple date display, integrating a linear power reserve indicator into the dial architecture. The 37.5mm stainless steel case follows the iconic Gerald Genta-designed octagonal bezel with horizontal embossed dial, but here fitted with a matte black dial carrying applied Roman numerals rather than the more common baton indices. Movement duties fall to the automatic Caliber 315 S IRM QA, a self-winding manufacture movement beating at 21,600 vph with a 45-hour power reserve and a date display at 3 o'clock.

The Tiffany & Co. co-signed variant adds a further layer of rarity. During the era, Patek Philippe supplied a limited number of references to Tiffany — one of its oldest authorised retail partners — with the Tiffany name printed at the six o'clock position below the Patek Philippe signature. These co-branded dials were never produced in large numbers, and the 3710/1A Tiffany represents one of the harder combinations to locate on the secondary market today.

For collectors, the ref. 3710/1A sits in a compelling sweet spot: it predates the post-2006 Nautilus boom, carries a genuine mechanical complication, and exists only in steel — Patek never produced the reference in precious metal. The Tiffany dial version intensifies that desirability considerably, appearing infrequently even at major auction houses.

Frey's choice signals serious horological knowledge. This is not a watch purchased for visibility or current hype; the 3710/1A Tiffany rewards those who have studied the Nautilus lineage carefully. Grey-market values for standard 3710/1A examples have climbed well above $100,000, with Tiffany-dial references commanding meaningful premiums whenever they surface.