Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Audemars Piguet "Classique" Dress Watch in 18k Rose Gold, mid 1980s
- Maker / attribution
- Audemars Piguet (maker)
- Date
- mid 1980s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- 18k rose gold
- Dimensions
- Case 32 mm
- Stock no.
- w-3199
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (w-3199)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Audemars Piguet "Classique" Dress Watch in 18k Rose Gold (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number w-3199), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated mid 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18k rose gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 32 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 — Bulang & Sons
Audemars Piguet has a long and distinguished history of crafting fantastic dress watches. This beautiful example from the 1990s is the epitome of a luxury dress watch. Featuring a manual-wound movement, the timepiece boasts an elegant 32mm case with slim, straight lugs and a narrow round bezel, giving the watch a larger presence on the wrist than its size might suggest. While most dress watches from this era were crafted in 18k yellow gold, this piece deviates from the norm with a cool and rare pink gold variation, giving it a warm and unique appearance. The case is in fantastic condition, and the dial is equally impressive, featuring the fine Audemars Piguet script on a matte silver background, with simple stick markers and no lume. A very unusual subdial for the date function occupies the lower half of the dial. This fine dress watch is fitted with the original AP leather strap and an 18k gold buckle. The ultra-thin hand-wound Caliber 2080 has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Our team is ready to assist you with any questions and to help you make this classy dresser your own! Specifications: - Audemars Piguet “Classique” Dress Watch - 32mm 18k rose gold case - Matte silver dial - Date at 6 o'clock - No lume, stick hands - C75xxx serial dating to the mid-1980s - Caliber 2080 “ultra-thin” manual wind movement - Comes on the pictured AP strap and AP 18k gold buckle - Fully serviced by our watchmaker
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 timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
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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