THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: AUDEMARS PIGUET
MODEL: 14579BC
YEAR: c2000
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 29x32MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K WHITE GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: 18K WHITE GOLD
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND
While the Royal Oak is undoubtedly one of the most iconic watches of all time—and arguably the watch that saved Audemars Piguet, shaping the brand following Gérald Genta’s legendary design in 1972—the manufacture had already produced an incredible range of watches both before and after the Royal Oak’s debut.
In fact, the Royal Oak was not even Genta’s first creation for Audemars Piguet. Just a few years earlier, he designed the Cobra, ref. 5403: crafted in precious metal and named after its uncanny resemblance to the snake. It is only in recent years that these vintage Cobras have begun receiving the attention they deserve. They were produced in relatively small numbers (partly because of their substantial original price), and even fewer have survived in good condition, avoiding the unfortunate trip to a furnace to be turned into blocks of gold over the years.
The present example dates to the 1990s and features a beautiful 18K white gold case measuring 30 mm. If you can even tell where the case starts or ends, it flows seamlessly into the integrated bracelet. Powered by the ultra-thin manual-wind calibre 2080, the watch wears beautifully on the wrist, almost like a piece of jewellery. The dial is reminiscent of a Patek Philippe Ellipse, with its elegant proportions and soft curves. There is no perceptible stretch to the bracelet, and the 18K white gold clasp looks as good as new.
The dial features eleven diamond-set hour markers, an applied AP logo at 12 o’clock, and beautifully diamond-set hands. Once again, it nearly brought our photography session to a halt today because Jake completely fell in love with it—and it’s easy to see why. We have freshly serviced the movement, which is running perfectly at +4 s/d, with 255° amplitude and a 0.4 ms beat error.
We’ll let Jake’s images do the talking. This beautiful vintage Audemars Piguet looks equally stunning on both men's and women's wrists.