Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 14700BA - 'Mid-Size' / 'Mini Jumbo' W/ Booklet & Papers
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.
Condition Report & Details
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Shipping, Returns, & Warranty
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Returns (accepted within 3 days of initial delivery of your purchase) must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. For payments via Credit Card, a 5% restocking fee will be in place for any returns or cancellations in order to cover our processing fee. Of course, watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.
If you happen to trade a watch with us, which we welcome, trades are final, except of course if the watch is grossly misdescribed or misrepresented.
We back each Oliver & Clarke timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty starting at the date of first delivery. We service or perform necessary maintenance to the extent necessary to all of our watches, unless otherwise noted. All watches are listed and sold running and functioning as intended.
*Please note that due to the vintage or antique nature of many of our watches, these machines may not run as accurately as they did when new, nor will any mechanical timepiece keep time as accurately as a quartz or electronic device.
We do not guarantee water resistance, thus do not warranty against moisture incursion or water damage.
*We also do not recommend deliberate exposure to water or worse - steam!
Our warranty is voided under the following circumstances:
- Internal or external damage caused by an accident, mishandling, abuse, modification, or handling/service performed by a third party individual other than one of our own.
Our warranty is non-transferable.
The Oliver & Clarke Guarantee
Through rigorous vetting of each watch offered, we’re able to guarantee authenticity of our pieces. Ultimately, your satisfaction is our mission, as is helping you get YOUR perfect watch. If you have any questions at all, we will get back to you ASAP.
Each of our timepieces are vetted, evaluated, authenticated, and approved by our experienced team prior to sale. We guarantee the period-correctness of all components unless otherwise disclosed. We guarantee the authenticity of each watch in perpetuity.
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"As collectors themselves, Oliver and Clarke are on a mission to make buying vintage watches as painless as possible."
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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.
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