Bowers & Wilkins celebrates Nautilus 30th anniversary with unique pearl finish pair

Bowers & Wilkins iconic Nautilus loudspeaker is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a unique pair produced in an Abalone Pearl finish.

The iconic design warrants the treatment, not just because it's the traditional jewel to celebrate 30 years of marriage, but also the colour of the internal shell of the marine mollusc that inspired the Nautilus name.

The Nautilus remains one of the most recognisable loudspeaker designs in the world, originally conceived by company founder John Bowers, and delivered by lead engineer, Laurence Dickie.

The innovative Nautilus was a money no object project designed from the outset to ‘make a loudspeaker that doesn’t sound like a loudspeaker’.

The Nautilus tube would go on to win a Queen’s Award for Innovation and was just one of many breakthroughs developed for theNautilus project that would subsequently influence all of the company’s future product design.

Along with the reference 801 loudspeaker, favoured by music industry professionals, it elevated Bowers & Wilkins into the world’s audio brand super league.

30 years on, every Nautilus remains a handbuilt work of art. Building a single speaker enclosure takes over a week, before any sanding, painting or polishing of the cabinet takes place.

Bowers and Wilkins says that demand for Nautilus continues to outstrip supply. The current waiting list for a new model currently stands at two years.

Commenting on the 30th Anniversary, Dave Sheen, Brand President of Bowers & Wilkins said: “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.”

Nautilus is available in three standard colours: Midnight Blue Metallic, Silver and Black. The company also offers a custom-finish service that will match the product’s colour to any reference the customer chooses, at an extra cost.