{"title":"Vintage Audemars Piguet Watches","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"audemars-piguet-white-gold-ellipse-dress-watch-grey-dial-w-lapis-lazuli-indices","title":"Audemars Piguet White Gold 'Ellipse' Dress Watch - Grey Dial w\/ 'Lapis Lazuli' Indices","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe year 1972 was the advent of what is undeniably Audemars Piguet's most famous, significant, and yes, iconic line of watches, the Royal Oak. It was also the year that the 'high-end dress watch' would forever change. Prior to 1972, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eultra-thin and design-focused precious metal watches represented the pinnacle of the genre, not what \u003cem\u003eappears \u003c\/em\u003eto be an industrial-styled stainless steel sports watch with a bracelet. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile the brand never stopped producing traditional dress watches, per-se, production of their new golden goose would dominate the rest of the lineup. And this is after considering that prior to the Royal Oak, AP made far fewer watches to start with...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe piece that we have here hails from circa the 1980s, an era when brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, and even Rolex were experimenting with design-forward timepieces focused on finishing and opulence. The 26mm case and matching integrated-style bracelet are constructed out of solid white gold and are finished with a stunning 'woven' texture throughout. Inside, the dial features a light grey 'brushed' surface and factory applied \u003cem\u003elapis lazuli\u003c\/em\u003e indices with a 'pencil' handset to compliment them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStunning, rare, and objectively impressive.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis then, is a representation of a bygone era not just for Audemars Piguet, but for what a high-end dress watch used to be. Only in the last few years have collectors and enthusiasts alike started to pay a bit more attention to pieces like these and, we think, its long overdue.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oliver \u0026 Clarke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51727806267709,"sku":"OC2926","price":26500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/6138\/3741\/files\/AP_DRESS_SLVR_MESH_BLUE_WEB_1.jpg?v=1779130452"},{"product_id":"audemars-piguet-white-gold-dress-watch-white-gold-woven-dial-w-sodalite-indices","title":"Audemars Piguet White Gold Dress Watch - White Gold 'Woven' Dial w\/ 'Sodalite' Indices","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe year 1972 was the advent of what is undeniably Audemars Piguet's most famous, significant, and yes, iconic line of watches, the Royal Oak. It was also the year that the 'high-end dress watch' would forever change. Prior to 1972, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eultra-thin and design-focused precious metal watches represented the pinnacle of the genre, not what \u003cem\u003eappears \u003c\/em\u003eto be an industrial-styled stainless steel sports watch with a bracelet. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhile the brand never stopped producing traditional dress watches, per-se, production of their new golden goose would dominate the rest of the lineup. And this is after considering that prior to the Royal Oak, AP made far fewer watches to start with...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe piece that we have here hails from circa the 1980s, an era when brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, and even Rolex were experimenting with design-forward timepieces focused on finishing and opulence. The 26mm case and matching integrated-style bracelet are constructed out of solid white gold, with a stunning hand-finished texture throughout. The dial inside is not flat, but rather a 3-dimensional 'woven' white gold base with applied 'Soladite' stone indices, and thats it. A clean design that speaks by way of its execution rather than text. The blue stone indices are complimented by a blue-painted 'pencil' handset. It is powered by AP's Cal. 2003 manual-winding movement.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStunning, rare, and objectively impressive.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis then, is a representation of a bygone era not just for Audemars Piguet, but for what a high-end dress watch used to be. Only in the last few years have collectors and enthusiasts alike started to pay a bit more attention to pieces like these and, we think, its long overdue.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oliver \u0026 Clarke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51790328889661,"sku":"OC3216","price":18500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/6138\/3741\/files\/AP_DRESS_SLVR_BLUE_MESH_WEB_1_93b5b508-e754-4429-ab0f-ee5c1d6938eb.jpg?v=1780594811"},{"product_id":"audemars-piguet-cobra-ref-5403bc-sunburst-blue-dial","title":"Audemars Piguet Cobra Ref. 5403BC - Sunburst Blue Dial","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe year 1972 was the advent of what is undeniably Audemars Piguet's most famous, significant, and yes, iconic line of watches, the Royal Oak. It was also the year that the 'high-end dress watch' would forever change. Prior to 1972, ultra-thin and design-focused precious metal watches represented the pinnacle of the genre, not what appears to be an industrial-styled stainless steel sports watch with a bracelet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the brand never stopped producing traditional dress watches, per-se, production of their new golden goose would dominate the rest of the lineup. And this is after considering that prior to the Royal Oak, AP made far fewer watches to start with...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe piece that we have here hails from circa the 1970s, an era when brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, and even Rolex were experimenting with design-forward timepieces focused on finishing and opulence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe piece that we have here, colloquially known as a ‘Cobra’ for its woven, serpent-like construction, is a solid white gold dress watch dating to circa the 1970s. It was released just after the original Royal Oak Ref. 5402 and builds on the ultra-thin dress watch race that dominated this era. It even utilizes the very same movement that the Royal Oak did.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is constructed in such a way that the 'woven' bracelet completely encapsulates the mid-case. A true 'bracelet' dress watch. It measures 34mm in diameter at the widest point and like virtually any integrated-bracelet watch, it wears a bit larger than its 'on paper' dimensions would indicate. It also has a white gold crown at 3 o'clock, a screw-down caseback, and that ultra-thin automatic-winding calibre within. The dial is perfectly suited for this piece. Blue in color, it features a sunburst surface with applied diamond indices, a date aperture, and minimal text. It is beautifully-preserved and is tied together with a 'pencil' handset.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen these first went on sale, they were positioned higher than not only the steel Royal Oak, but higher than the sold gold Royal Oaks. Compare their position on the market today, and it becomes clear that these remain a bargain despite their resurgence in popularity in the last few years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eStunning, rare, and objectively impressive, this piece is a representation of a bygone era not just for Audemars Piguet, but for what a high-end dress watch used to be. Only in the last few years have collectors and enthusiasts alike started to pay a bit more attention to pieces like these and, we think, its long overdue.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oliver \u0026 Clarke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52010198663485,"sku":"OC3279","price":41750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/6138\/3741\/files\/AP_ELLIPSE_BLUE_WEB_1.jpg?v=1784764293"},{"product_id":"audemars-piguet-white-gold-dress-watch-ref-5259-silver-dial-w-box-papers","title":"Audemars Piguet White Gold Dress Watch Ref. 5259 - Silver Dial w\/ Box \u0026 Papers","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe year 1972 was the advent of what is undeniably Audemars Piguet's most famous, significant, and yes, iconic line of watches, the Royal Oak. It was also the year that the 'high-end dress watch' would forever change. Prior to 1972, ultra-thin and design-focused precious metal watches represented the pinnacle of the genre, not what appears to be an industrial-styled stainless steel sports watch with a bracelet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the brand never stopped producing traditional dress watches, per-se, production of their new golden goose would dominate the rest of the lineup. And this is after considering that prior to the Royal Oak, AP made far fewer watches to start with...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe piece that we have here is one of those pre-Royal Oak era watches: an ultra-thin dress watch dating to circa the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNicely-sized at 33.5mm in diameter, the case is constructed out of white gold with an attractive 'linen' finishing on the top-case, a white gold crown, and a matching white gold 'mesh' bracelet with a signed locking clasp. Inside, the silver dial inside is very of-its-era, with simple printed \"Audemars Piguet\" script, elongated 'stick' indices, and a 'pencil' handset to match. This svelte piece is powered by AP's ultra-thin Calibre 2001 manual-winding movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLast but not least, this piece is accompanied by its box, certificate of origin, and even the outer paper sleeve for the box. A very rare find.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis then, is a representation of a bygone era not just for Audemars Piguet, but for what a high-end dress watch used to be. Only in the last few years have collectors and enthusiasts alike started to pay a bit more attention to pieces like these and, we think, its long overdue.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oliver \u0026 Clarke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52822035300669,"sku":"OC3259","price":13350.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/6138\/3741\/files\/AP_CALATRAVA_BRAIDED_WEB_1.jpg?v=1786570142"},{"product_id":"audemars-piguet-hinged-lug-dress-watch-satin-silver-dial-w-box","title":"Audemars Piguet 'Hinged-Lug' Dress Watch - Satin Silver Dial W\/ Box","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe year 1972 was the advent of what is undeniably Audemars Piguet's most famous, significant, and yes, iconic line of watches, the Royal Oak. It was also the year that the 'high-end dress watch' would forever change. Prior to 1972, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eultra-thin and design-focused precious metal watches represented the pinnacle of the genre, not what \u003cem\u003eappears \u003c\/em\u003eto be an industrial-styled stainless steel sports watch with a bracelet. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWhile the brand never stopped producing traditional dress watches, per-se, production of their new golden goose would dominate the rest of the lineup. So, watches like the svelte and, frankly, stunning yellow gold dress watch that we have here offer offer not just a ton of value next to their iconic siblings, but were produced in relatively limited quantities.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe piece that we have here is one of those pre-Royal Oak era watches: \u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003ea rare yellow gold 'Tank'-style dress watch dating to circa the 1950s.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eNoticeable even at a glance, the lugs hint at their fully-articulating nature, with fine spacing between them and the case itself. When turned to profile view, the articulating nature of the lugs becomes apparent, as well as the intricate, sculpted finishing that they possess throughout. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe bezel has a high-polish finish, framing the satin silver dial within. The dial itself shows honest signs of aging, with applied yellow gold 'dart' and 'Arabic' indices, a subsidiary seconds register on the lower half, and a yellow gold 'pencil' handset typing it all together. It is powered by a manual-winding movement by AP.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLast but not least, this piece is accompanied by its box and comes fitted with a 'Saffiano'-textured brown leather strap with its original yellow gold signed buckle. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThis then, is a representation of a bygone era not just for Audemars Piguet, but for what a high-end dress watch used to be. Only in the last few years have collectors and enthusiasts alike started to pay a bit more attention to pieces like these and, we think, its long overdue.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oliver \u0026 Clarke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52855384179005,"sku":"OC3131","price":26750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/6138\/3741\/files\/AP_TANK_SQ_STRAP_WEB_1.jpg?v=1787100809"},{"product_id":"audemars-piguet-yellow-gold-coin-watch-satin-silver-dial","title":"Audemars Piguet Yellow Gold 'Coin' Watch - Satin Silver Dial","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe year 1972 was the advent of what is undeniably Audemars Piguet's most famous, significant, and yes, iconic line of watches, the Royal Oak. It was also the year that the 'high-end dress watch' would forever change. Prior to 1972, ultra-thin and design-focused precious metal watches represented the pinnacle of the genre, not what appears to be an industrial-styled stainless steel sports watch with a bracelet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the brand never stopped producing traditional dress watches, per-se, production of their new golden goose would dominate the rest of the lineup. And this is after considering that prior to the Royal Oak, AP made far fewer watches to start with...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat said, you may have noticed that this isn't a watch. So whats going on?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat we have here is what is known as a 'coin watch' — a concept adopted a number of prominent brands in this era. These are generally made by using two gold coins, one for each side, with another watch case housed inside. Some were even produced with lugs and designed to be worn on a leather strap, but are the pieces like this one that almost perfectly resemble a coin that are the most interesting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis example, of course, is an AP. A good start! The yellow gold case comes in at 34mm in diameter, and features 'coin edge' finishing on the profile with a 'hidden' push button to open the closure at the 3 o'clock position. Once opened, the actual timepiece becomes visible and can be tilted up on a hinge by way of a tab at the 6 o'clock position. The crown at the 1 o'clock position then becomes usable to both wind and set the timepiece. The dial within is silver in color and has a satin finished surface, along with simple printed 'stick' indices and a matching blued-steel 'pencil' handset. Inside the watch case, the movement is an ultra-thin manually-would calibre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn top of being an obscure piece that is not immediately associated with AP, this watch — an 'object' really, is a glimpse into an era when subtlety and ultra-thin watchmaking rained supreme. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe phrase 'if you know, you know' may never be more perfectly applied to a timepiece.... \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Oliver \u0026 Clarke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53107250561341,"sku":"OC3150","price":8750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/6138\/3741\/files\/AP_GLD_COIN_WEB_1.jpg?v=1790028780"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/6138\/3741\/collections\/AP_ROYALOAK_BLKDIAL_IG_SUBHEADER.jpg?v=1793825265","url":"https:\/\/oliverandclarke.com\/collections\/vintage-audemars-piguet-watches.oembed","provider":"Oliver \u0026 Clarke Vintage Watches","version":"1.0","type":"link"}