
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Audemars Piguet Classic White Gold 'Ultra-Thin', 1990s
- Maker / attribution
- Audemars Piguet (maker)
- Date
- 1990s
- Historical period
- Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- white gold
- Dimensions
- Case 33 mm
- Stock no.
- 40991773
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991773)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Audemars Piguet Classic White Gold 'Ultra-Thin' (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40991773), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated 1990s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: white gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 33 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 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 — Analog/Shift
This slim and elegant piece couldn't be any further removed from the bulky brutishness of the Royal Oak Offshore line for which Audemars Piguet is perhaps best known. Harkening to the days before the Royal Oak became a must-have accessory for the well-heeled, this stunning timepiece is representative of an era in which the maison made far fewer timepieces per year - so few in fact that many were unique pieces, or part of incredibly limited production runs, making for truly rare finds in today's collector marketplace. This particular piece dates to the 1990s and features a 33mm 18k white gold case with a white gold Clous de Paris bezel and a matching integrated multi-link bracelet with a hidden clasp. Simply and gracefully executed, its sapphire blue dial features micro-tapisserie texturing in the center with an iridescent sunburst chapter ring with applied indices and a matching 'pencil' handset that jump off the dial ever-so elegantly. With a case thickness of only 6mm due to its a hand-cranking manual movement, watches such as this one are a testament to the amazing diversity AP once had in its catalog, and is sure to delight on the wrist! *Due to the design of this bracelet, sizing alterations may require custom work. Lead time after measurements are established is 4-6 weeks.*
Historical context
Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.
Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
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.
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