"Audemars Piguet" Automatic - authentication & value help?

JohannesFact · May 30, 2014

Hi there,

Recently inherited this watch and have no idea whether it's real or its value.

The text on the front is AUDEMARS PIGUET / GENEVE / AUTOMATIC

The number on the back is most likely "50815" but could be "50875".

Any help is greatly appreciated.

gatorcpa · May 30, 2014

Not going to be able to tell you much from photos of such poor quality.

There are very few members here who are experts on vintage Audemars Piguet. However, you happen to be in luck. I think I found a similar watch for sale on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mens-Vintag...atic-Hobnail-Watch-W-Screw-Back-/251481348871

The number on the back would seem to be a case serial number, not a model number. The pattern of the case is called "hobnail", and that's how I found this one. I Googled "Audemars Piguet Hobnail".

I believe that the case, dial and the rotor weight are all solid 18K gold.

This is an outstanding inheritance watch. You must have been very special to your friend or relative.
gatorcpa

ulackfocus · May 30, 2014

Looks like gator beat me to it. The watch in question is absolutely authentic and is a caliber 2120 which was released around 1967. The hands are correct, and the fonts look correct on the dial too, although before I score it 100% I want to see better pictures to check for the accents and commas.

Privateday7 · May 30, 2014

That is certainly a fine special watch. Be careful in wearing it. Any ding in hobnail surface is irreparable.

JohannesFact · May 30, 2014

holy cow, i had no idea. certainly deserves better pictures (though the hobnail makes finding focus hard!)

ulackfocus · May 31, 2014

Comma & accent in the right places. 👍

dsio · May 31, 2014

I moved this from the "Other watches" to the high end forum as the Gold Case, Calibre 2120, and AP on the dial certainly qualify it 😀

Very nice find mate!

JohannesFact · May 31, 2014

unbelievable. the watch was in a shoebox full of bric-a-brac at my father's house that we almost donated. it's beautiful, though i'm an omega man myself … might use it to go after that black pie pan calendar connie i've always dreamed of ...

many thanks to everyone who weighed in on this.

S

gatorcpa · May 31, 2014

JohannesFact
it's beautiful, though i'm an omega man myself … might use it to go after that black pie pan calendar connie i've always dreamed of ...

I would not make that trade if I were you. This is like trading a vintage Ferrari for a Mercedes SL. Both are excellent, but hardly equivalent. Maybe a trade for a Constellation DeLuxe, at least that has a gold dial.

Audemars is one of the "big three" (Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre are the other two) for a reason. These are the watchmakers' watchmakers. I love Omegas too, but this movement is a big step up from Omegas best.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa

JohannesFact · May 31, 2014

thanks gatorcpa … what i meant 😀 was, a black pie pan calendar connie and a trip to europe 😀.

ulackfocus · May 31, 2014

You'd be getting rid of the finest full rotor automatic ever made if you sold that watch. I spent a couple years looking at various incarnations of that caliber waiting for a near mint example. You lucked into one as an heirloom. Sorry to be blunt, but you'd be foolish to trade down to a mere Omega Constellation.

gatorcpa · May 31, 2014

U ulackfocus
Sorry to be blunt, but you'd be foolish to trade down to a mere Omega Constellation.

Please forgive Dennis. 🙄

He is a huge "C" case fan, and your Audemars Piguet is probably the ultimate "C" case watch.
gatorcpa

ulackfocus · May 31, 2014

I'm a huge ultra-thin collector too, so add that into the equation too. Since we love pictures…..

AP 2120 automatic inside a white gold reference 5279:

AP 2003 manual inside a yellow gold Classique:

If you ever have an argument about which company had the best one-two auto-manual punch of ultra-thin calibers, these would be top contenders on ANYONE's list. Piaget might be the gold medal winner even though their 9P manual and 12P micro-rotor were slightly thicker (less than a half a mm) because they are in-house while AP got these from JLC (like VC and PP did too). AP now owns the rights to the 2120 as part of the deal when they sold their 40% share of JLC to Richemont.

JohannesFact · May 31, 2014

ulackfocus - many thanks for your passionate advocacy. i didn't realize what a significant (as opposed to valuable) watch it was - and it does make a difference. especially since it's an heirloom, it might just be the first gold watch i've warmed to ...

thanks again.

Privateday7 · May 31, 2014

gatorcpa
...... and your Audemars Piguet is probably the ultimate "C" case watch.
gatorcpa

The only drawback I see is the size of the watch. From Ebay listing info, its size is 29mm without lugs.

ulackfocus · May 31, 2014

It is valuable - almost $3k. But it's even more valuable as a family heirloom.

dsio · Jun 1, 2014

Is it white gold or yellow? Hard to tell sometimes with the white balance of camera pics

JohannesFact · Jun 1, 2014

dsio yellow gold

Interstatetime · Jun 16, 2014

gatorcpa
Audemars is one of the "big three" (Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre are the other two) for a reason. These are the watchmakers' watchmakers. I love Omegas too, but this movement is a big step up from Omegas best.

Gatorcpa,

I thought that the big two were Patek and Vacheron and that all others were somewhat....smaller?

Just sayin'

JohnCote

gatorcpa · Jun 16, 2014

Interstatetime
I thought that the big two were Patek and Vacheron and that all others were somewhat....smaller?

And who made the ebauches for many of the older Vacheron and Audemars calibers? 😉

http://ninanet.net/watches/others12/Mediums/mvccr.html

The watchmaker's watchmaker, of course!

Just saying 😜
gatorcpa