Unbeknown to many, the Nautilus has continued being in production, with the legendary speaker being hand-made to order in the company's Worthing, UK factory for the last 30 years. Demand for Nautilus has consistently outstripped supply throughout its 30-year existence, with the waiting list for a new model currently standing at two years.

To mark the milestone, Bowers & Wilkins has created a unique pair of Nautilus finished in a stunning Abalone Pearl paint, a dramatic finish fitting of this landmark anniversary. It's particularly relevant since it's also the colour of the internal shell of the marine mollusc that inspired the Nautilus name.

B&W tells us this unique Pearl-finished loudspeaker also stars in a new Bowers & Wilkins film that explores the story behind the birth of Nautilus, the craft and passion that goes into making each pair and the extraordinary impact its design has had on the world of audio.

The Nautilus was the remarkable, ground-breaking vision of both company founder John Bowers, who initiated the Nautilus project shortly before he passed away, and the lead engineer who would eventually deliver on that legacy, Laurence Dickie.

The idea was simple but, as we're told, immensely challenging ... “make a loudspeaker that doesn't sound like a loudspeaker'”. Armed with an extensive brief, no time constraints and few limitations related to practicality or cost, the Nautilus emerged almost as a concept car made reality, a radical five-year project to explore how many of the negative effects of the loudspeaker enclosure could be eliminated by innovative design, the company says.

John Martin, Director of Sales, Masimo Consumer, which represents Bowers & Wilkins in Australia, told StereoNET:

The result was a revolution in loudspeaker engineering that introduced the concept of the exponentially tapered tube to loudspeaker design. The Nautilus tube would go on to win a Queen's Award for Innovation and was just one of many breakthroughs developed for the Nautilus project that would subsequently influence all of the company's future product design. Alongside the equally remarkable 801, the choice of music industry professionals the world over, Nautilus was a key element in elevating Bowers & Wilkins into the world's leading audio brand.

Today, Nautilus is still built the same way. The company has pioneered manufacturing processes of loudspeakers and set new standards for automated precision. Yet, Nautilus remains painstakingly hand-built, and each pair take over a week to build the physical cabinets - that's before painting, sanding, and polishing! 

Dave Sheen, Brand President of Bowers & Wilkins, added:

While Bowers & Wilkins is committed to advancing the future of high-performance audio across all of our product portfolio, Nautilus remains of the highest importance to all of us. It readily communicates everything that is exceptional about Bowers & Wilkins and our no-holds-barred approach to creating the world's best sounding, most beautifully designed audio products.

EDIT

The Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus is available to order in three standard colours, Midnight Blue Metallic, Silver and Black, which sells for £90,000/ €100,000 RRP. Other colours are possible on request. The 30th Anniversary Abalone Pearl finish, which we've just confirmed, will be available for £110,000/ €125,000.

For more information visit Bowers & Wilkins