THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: AUDEMARS PIGUET
MODEL: 14894BA
YEAR: c1995
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 34MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

The Jules Audemars collection was launched by Audemars Piguet in the 1990s, alongside the Edward Piguet collection, both named after the brand’s co-founders. The line featured round watches with a focus on timeless, elegant design and exceptional finishing, perhaps as a way to introduce greater variety to the brand amid the growing dominance of the Royal Oak.

Nearly three decades later, the popularity of the Royal Oak has only continued to rise, while many of AP’s dressier offerings from the 1990s and early 2000s have fallen into relative obscurity. Whether this is simply a result of the sports-watch boom of the past decade is open to debate, but the unexpected outcome is that some truly wonderful watches from this era can still be acquired at remarkably reasonable prices.

The ref. 14894 shown here is a prime example that a beautiful precious metal watch from a Holy Trinity brand does not need to cost tens of thousands of pounds. The 34 mm 18K yellow gold case measures just 5 mm thick, thanks to the ultra-thin manual-wind calibre 2080 movement. The watch has survived in wonderful condition over its lifetime, showing only minor marks to the case and no imperfections on the simple white dial. There are extensive oxidation on the caseback which we love to see on vintage gold watches. The inside of the caseback is equally beautifully decorated. 

Our friends at The Strap Tailor kindly custom-made these alligator straps for us, and the original 18K yellow gold Audemars Piguet buckle is still present. The movement arrived in excellent health and is currently running at +2 s/day, with 275° amplitude and a 0.3 ms beat error.

Here at Falco, we are loving the comeback of dress watches. A wonderful summer watch that's incredibly cool on the wrist.