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There are loudspeakers, and then there is Nautilus.
In an industry where the term “icon” is often misused, Bowers & Wilkins’ Nautilus has spent the last three decades earning that designation the hard way: through design that continues to challenge what is possible, and performance that helped shape the sound of modern recording. Thirty years after its debut, Nautilus remains unmatched not just in how it looks, but in how it was made and what it stands for.
A Shape with Purpose
The visual identity of Nautilus is unmistakable. Spiraling, elongated, and unlike anything that came before or since, its form still looks like a conceptual prototype even today. But every line and curve exists to serve the most elusive ambition in high-performance audio: the pursuit of perfect sound. This was never a stylistic flourish. The cabinet’s tapering waveguide tubes allow the speaker’s drivers to perform without interference from unwanted resonances, an engineering solution so effective it was immediately adopted across the Bowers & Wilkins lineup.
At the time of its launch in 1993, this level of innovation was virtually unheard of in a home loudspeaker. John Bowers had charged engineer Laurence Dickie with a deceptively simple brief: create a loudspeaker that didn’t sound like a loudspeaker. The result was a sculptural object designed from the inside out, function dictating form, not the other way around.
Built by Hand, by Feel
Producing Nautilus is an entirely different process from the mass-manufacturing that defines most of the audio world. Each pair is handcrafted at Bowers & Wilkins’ Worthing facility in the UK by a specialized team, each step performed with a level of care closer to fine art than consumer electronics. From sanding and polishing the complex shell to assembling the four drivers in each enclosure, every process is manual and exacting.
Spray technician Dave Funnell applies the finish coat entirely by hand, while polisher Nick Curling perfects the shell to a mirror-like gleam. Once assembled by builders like Darren Evans, the speaker is tested and tuned by a dedicated quality engineer, ensuring that it not only meets specification, but performs as a seamless embodiment of the company’s pursuit of True Sound.
A Pearl for the Anniversary
To mark the thirtieth anniversary of Nautilus, Bowers & Wilkins has created a limited-edition finish in Abalone Pearl—a nod to the marine creature that inspired its name. The iridescent surface plays with light and shadow in motion, lending a new dimension to the speaker’s already sculptural form. This special edition carries a price of $110,000 per pair and is available by request in three standard finishes—Midnight Blue, Black, and Silver—or as a fully bespoke commission.
What Nautilus Represents
Nautilus is not simply a high-end loudspeaker. It is a symbol of what can be accomplished when constraints are removed and priorities are reset. For Bowers & Wilkins, it is the purest expression of the company’s philosophy: that technical excellence and aesthetic beauty are not mutually exclusive, and that the best sound is achieved through the relentless pursuit of better.
After three decades, the philosophy that gave rise to Nautilus continues to shape everything Bowers & Wilkins does. But Nautilus itself remains unchanged. It is still made by hand, still demands months of meticulous work, and still stands as a permanent benchmark for what high-fidelity sound reproduction can aspire to be.
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