18ct white gold Audemars Piguet Ellipse automatic wristwatch with blue dial, 1970 — view 1 of 2 — View 1 of 2 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 2 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

18ct white gold Audemars Piguet Ellipse automatic wristwatch with blue dial, 1970

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Audemars Piguet (maker)
Date: 1970
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: white gold
Dimensions: Case 32 mm
Dealer: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London
Stock no.: G3576
Credit line: Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (G3576)
Catalogue title (original): 18ct white gold Audemars Piguet Ellipse automatic wristwatch with blue dial. Made 1970 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number G3576), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: white gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 32 mm. The record is illustrated with 2 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Somlo Antiques

In 1875 Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet established a workshop. In it, Audemars was in charge of production and assembly whilst his friend Piguet was in charge of regulation, sales and ‘quality control’. Both had learned the watchmaker's trade after finishing public school together in their hometown of Le Brassus by training at the bench. They had returned to the Vallee de Joux to find jobs in the local watch making industry. Their attention to detail and ability with business affairs helped the two friends establish themselves as eventually one of the largest watch making employers, as well as producers of stunning complex movements based in Vaud, Switzerland. Though the 'Ellipse' is closely associated with the Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet also explored the ellipse-shaped case during the 1970s, opting for a softer, rounder profile complemented by a date window at 3 o'clock. Brand: Audemars Piguet Made: 1970 Model: Ellipse Reference: - Calibre: 2121 Movement: Manual Material: 18ct white gold Features/complications: Bark finished bezel Dial: Cobalt blue dial featuring applied gold baton hour markers and gold baton hands with a date window at 3 o'clock Case dimensions: 32mm Bracelet/strap: Leather strap Accessories: N/A SKU: 3576

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Automatic (self-winding) watches

Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.

What to look for

A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.

Dating clues

Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

Self-winding (automatic) mechanism — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Somlo Antiques — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"18ct white gold Audemars Piguet Ellipse automatic wristwatch with blue dial, 1970." Somlo Antiques (dealer), London, G3576. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/18ct-white-gold-audemars-piguet-ellipse-automatic-wristwatch-with-blue-c88e00.