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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 14700BA - 'Mid-Size' / 'Mini Jumbo' W/ Booklet & Papers

SOLD

It’s not unfair to say that Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is one of the most iconic watches ever made. Designed in 1972 by Gerald Genta, the Royal Oak completely changed the way that we look at a steel sports watch. For the first time, stainless steel was treated as a precious metal - receiving complex finishing techniques of brushing, polishing, and beveling - all by hand. The idea that its eight hexagonal bezel screws would be finely finished and left exposed for the wearer to see was a revolutionary thought. It’s no reason that the model became the calling card for the family owned Audemars Piguet - not to mention one of the most sought after watches in the world.

What’s better than a Royal Oak? How about a solid-gold Royal Oak?

The piece that we have here, a Reference 14700BA, is amongst of a group of 'mid size' Royal Oak References first introduced in the 1980s. This particular Reference, however, was only produced for roughly a single year and was available in full stainless steel, two-tone steel & gold, or solid gold. Naturally, while steel is certainly the most popular and two-tone is well suited in the Royal Oak, we feel solid gold is the way to go here. This example possesses a white micto-tappisserie dial with applied Tritium-filled yellow gold indices, the desirable, smaller "Audemars Piguet" text on the top half of the dial, and a matching Tritium handset. The case and bracelet are unpolished, showing normal wear from age and use with an attractive 'rosy' oxidation developing where the bezel meets the case, and only a few small blemishes on case and bracelet.

These watches strike the perfect balance between the size and value proposition that a Royal Oak can offer. It is also one of the rarest 'mid-size' Royal Oak family members. The weight of the solid gold makes this wear far larger than it is while still fitting the wrist in a more comfortable way than a full size 39mm Royal Oak which, for some, can feel a little odd on some people due to is flat footprint on the wrist.

Like we said, What’s better than a Royal Oak? A solid-gold Royal Oak.

Yellow Gold 1991 Booklet & Papers Automatic 37mm

"As collectors themselves, Oliver and Clarke are on a mission to make buying vintage watches as painless as possible."

"The company focuses on good prices for its pieces, elite customer service and full transparency."

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From Rolex & Patek Philippe, to Cartier & Audemars Piguet. As collectors first, we love the small details that separate the Submariner from Daytona and Calatrava from Royal Oak. This is why you'll find our curated assortment spans decades of generations of models and brands. We believe that watches don't just tell time, they tell history - and life is too short to wear a boring watch.

Oliver & Clarke