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Audemars Piguet wristwatch, ref. OR585, Skeletonised Dial, circa 1980s — view 1 of 2
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Audemars Piguet wristwatch, ref. OR585, Skeletonised Dial, circa 1980s

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Audemars Piguet (brand / maker)
Date
c. 1980s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
18k yellow gold
Dimensions
diameter 30 mm
Lot
Lot 361-25
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 25, Hong Kong,June 13, 2023 , 2022
Catalogue title (original)
AUDEMARS PIGUET REF. OR585, SKELETONISED DIAL,18K YELLOW GOLD (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 361-25), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18k yellow gold. Recorded dimensions: diameter 30 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

Antiquorum catalogue description

A very fine and elegant, manual winding 18K yellow gold wristwatch with skeletonised dial, with 18K yellow gold Audemars Piguet link bracelet.

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Model: Skeletonised; Reference: OR585; Movement No.: 239138; Case No.: C2928; Material: 18K yellow gold; Bracelet: integrated 18K yellow gold Audemars Piguet bracelet with deployant clasp, approx. overall length 180mm; Caliber: 2003; Diameter: 30mm.; Weight: 81gr. (approx.); Signature: dial, case and movement

Inscriptions & marks

dial, case and movement

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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