1960s Audemars Piguet White Gold Ultra Thin Cal. 2001 33mm
Ref: 649
Specification
Lugs :Â 18mm
Condition : Pre-OwnedÂ
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : 18ct White Gold
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold “Watch Only” and therefore without its Audemars Piguet box or paperwork. It comes paired with a suitable 18mm leather strap. The watch is from Circa. 1960s and is sold in worn condition with signs of patina across the original electroplated dial and around the indexes, as can be seen from the photographs. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GEPeqtk5n7WtNAXQaIF6n_rqxMVtxQc6?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 16:53 - https://youtu.be/r2dJHrLq8Cg
The Watch
Here we have a sophisticated 1960s Audemars Piguet White Gold Ultra Thin Cal. 2001 with a 33mm 18ct white Gold round case, hallmarked, that sits on your wrist with delicate tapered lugs, and a lug-to-lug length of 36.5mm and a case thickness of an incredibly thin 6.5mm ensures a comfortable fit. On the right side a coin-edge push/pull crown. A chamfer-edged smooth bezel holds a domed crystal above a sunburst blue dial that has developed an age-related patina across the original electroplating. Delicate applied thin baton indexes mark the hours. Fine baton hands complete this minimalist dress watch. At 12 o’clock, we have the Audemars Piguet motif. On the reverse, a snap-off 18ct White Gold case back, inside a manually wound Audemars Piguet Cal. 2001, 18 jewels, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. The watch comes paired with a suitable 18mm leather strap.
Personal Note
Patina on a watch can be quite a heated debate among collectors, the line between patina and damage is often blurred and the split of people loving certain patina and others not seems frequently 50:50. This is why I believe it is vital to buy what you like, don't follow trends or what someone on Instagram or a forums says, if you like it, buy it and enjoy it. That brings us to this beautiful Audemars Piguet in 18ct white gold, powered by the ultra-thin calibre 2001. The dial is its original deep metallic blue with speckles where the electroplating has come away over time, this is quite common on blue dials of this period that used this technique across many brands. I, personally, absolutely love it, it looks like gold paint slatters against a blue dial and offers something unique and different, plus it is priced incredibly well, so snap it up whilst you can!
The Brand
It was founded in Le Brassus, a small village inside the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. In the early 1870s, two watchmakers worked independently. Their names are Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. In 1875, they joined forces to create the brand Audemars Piguet. In 1892, they created the first-minute repeater wristwatch. 1899 saw the first Grand Complication pocket watch released, featuring a minute repeater, alarm, perpetual calendar, deadbeat seconds, chronograph, and split-seconds hand. They released the thinnest pocket watch calibre in 1925, while the first skeletonised pocket watch was released in 1934. In 1946, they released the world's thinnest wristwatch. On the eve of the 1972 Swiss Watch Show BaselWorld, Audemars Piguet met with Genta, and they tasked him to create a luxury sports watch. The next day, Genta introduced an idea, and the Royal Oak was born. Their Royal Oak Offshore collection was launched in 1993 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak. Emmanuel Gueit, a 22-year-old Swiss designer, was asked by Stephen Urquhart, CEO of Audemars Piguet, to create a youthful sports enthusiast watch.