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Audemars Piguet Signed Disco Volante Dress Watch 'Gübelin', 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Audemars Piguet (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 35 mm
Stock no.
40991228
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991228)
Catalogue title (original)
Audemars Piguet Signed Disco Volante Dress Watch 'Gübelin' (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40991228), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 35 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 brute of the Royal Oak Offshore line that the brand is perhaps most commonly known for amongst today's collectors. Hearkening back to a simpler time, it’s representative of an era in which the maison made so few timepieces per year that many were unique pieces, or part of incredibly limited series. This one, however, is unique not only for its integrated design, but for the multitude of decorative techniques that went into its construction. Housed in a 35mm white gold case, it features a fantastic, engine-turned hobnail finishing with an acrylic crystal, a silver crosshair dial with a pencil handset and a 'Gübelin' signature , a recessed crown, and a wildly cool integrated white gold bracelet with a Gübelin signed locking clasp. Powered by a hand-wound movement and dating to the 1960s, this rare piece is an incredible testament to the amazing risks AP was taking in the designs of its mid-20th century dress pieces. But don’t take our word for it — check it out for yourself! *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

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

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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