
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Ladies Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (Ref. 2662), 1980s
- Maker / attribution
- Audemars Piguet (maker)
- Date
- 1980s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 24 mm
- Stock no.
- AP2662
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (AP2662)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1980s Ladies Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (Ref. 2662) (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number AP2662), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 24 mm. The record is illustrated with 5 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 — Craft & Tailored
There aren't a whole lot of watches out there as iconic or polarizing as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Its striking angles and octagonal shape has been ogled and copied by many over the years, but there's nothing quite like the original. As the legend goes, Gerald Genta designed the watch in just one night after being asked to create something that could be presented at the opening of Baselworld 1970 - the next day. You could say he knocked it out of the park, but even that might be an understatement. Either way, 50-plus years ago and its still every bit of a statement piece as it was back then. Even in the diminutive 24mm case of this beautiful ref. 2662 from the '80s. Stock # AP2662 Brand Audemars Piguet Style Royal Oak Model 4100ST Serial C1XXXX Size Men's Material Stainless steel Dial Grey Tapisserie Dial Millimeters 24 Bracelet Audemars Piguet Integrated Stainless Steel Bracelet CASE & BRACELET The two-tone case is in original condition and has been lightly polished. It retains its original AP-signed crown. The stainless steel case back is clean, showing signs of use appropriate for its age. The watch will be supplied on its original AP integrated steel bracelet. DIAL & HANDS The dark bronze dial features AP's famous 'petite tapisserie' design, with bronze pill-shaped hour markers, hands and AP logo at 12 o'clock. ACCESSORIES
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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