
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Audemars Piguet Vintage Wristwatch, Switzerland, c. 1978
- Maker / attribution
- Audemars Piguet (maker)
- Date
- c. 1978
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- gold
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 41751253
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 97, Modern & Vintage Timepieces, Auctionata U.S. (2015), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- Audemars Piguet Vintage Wristwatch, Switzerland, c.1978 (English)
View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 41751253), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1978. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. The record is illustrated with 4 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
Lot description — Auctionata U.S.
Audemars Piguet Vintage Wristwatch Switzerland, circa 1978 Automatic movement; hours, minutes, seconds, date Champagne dial with applied gold Baton hour-markers, date aperture, minutes outer ring; Gold Baton hands 18kt Yellow Gold case, with roped bezel, crown, and snap-on caseback Audemars Piguet 18kt Yellow Gold integrated woven bracelet with folding clasp Hallmarked on the caseback and clasp Case No. B 40699 Case Diameter: 33mm; Height: 6.9mm Length of Bracelet: 15.75cm Very good age-related condition with minor traces of wear; Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense Estimate by Auctionata Expert: $3,000 The watch case diameter is 33mm and 6.9mm in height. The bracelet length is 15.75cm. Timepiece is in very good age-related condition with minor traces of wear. Overhaul is recommended at the buyer’s expense. Long-term precision and regularity cannot be guaranteed. Size and weight may deviate from the manufacturer’s indication. All watches are hand-measured and weighed. Please be advised that straps or bands made of materials derived from regulated species materials (including lizard, alligator, crocodile, et al) may not be sold with the watches and may be for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these straps or bands prior to shipping. Conditions may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches with water resistant cases may have been opened to inspect the movements; however no warranty is given that the watch(es) are currently water resistant. We do not warranty nor guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, including wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets, leather bands, and strap hardware, as repairs, restoration, and other subsequent work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Timepieces often contain extremely complex, fine, and rare mechanisms, as such, buyers should be aware that a general service, battery change, or further repair work, which is the sole responsibility of the buyer, may be necessary. No warranty of representation is made that any watch, clock, or timepiece is in working order and no catalog description of any lot should be interpreted as stating the aforementioned. Condition reports are only for general guidance and may or will not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections. Please be advised that certificates are not available unless otherwise specifically stated. Prospective buyers acknowledge the aforementioned paragraphs and accept responsibility for investigating and inspecting to satisfy themselves of the lots in which they may be interested. Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.
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.
Related records
Clocks · c. 1990s
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, c. 1990s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1960
Audemars Piguet ''couteau'', c. 1960
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · originally sold in November 1961 (per the lot record)
Audemars Piguet "extra Plate", ref. 5633 BA, originally sold in November 1961
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1980
Audemars Piguet pocket watch, c. 1980
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1970
Wristwatch by Heno, Switzerland, 1970
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1960–1986
'Tri-Compax' calendar chronograph wristwatch in gold case, by Universal, Geneva, Switzerland, 1960–1986.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1969–1970
Beta 21 Quartz wristwatch movement, made in Switzerland, 1970.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · c. 1969
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, ref. 145022-69st, c. 1969
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
