The Royal Oak has been the mainstay of the Audemars Piguet production since 1972, and this is the desirable automatic version.  Model reference 14700SA

HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?

We do not have the papers for this watch, but looking at others for sale that have papers we believe this watch to have been made circa 1993.  Audemars Piguet can issue extracts from the archives, but they are currently closed due to restrictions related to Corona virus.

CONDITION

Designed by Gerald Genta, the first thousand Royal Oak watches took two years to sell.  These ‘A Series’ steel watches cost CHF 3,300, which was more expensive than a gold Patek Philippe dress watch, or ten times the cost of a Rolex Submariner.  But nearly fifty years later the Royal Oak is still one of the most desirable watches in the World.  It has the unique looks that make it stand out, and wearing one is a pleasure.  The very clever case, and that expensive to produce but very comfortable bracelet seem to find endless different ways to bounce the light off the petit tapisserie dial.

The reference 14700SA combined the original looks into a smaller case, and instead of all steel there is a significant amount of 18k yellow gold used here for the bezel and the bracelet links.  Some Royal Oak models lack the central seconds hand of this one, or the quick set date, and as these watches tend to wear a little larger than the diameter would suggest some people find the 39mm jumbo case too large.  In that case this is the model for you.  This Royal Oak has the AP 2314 automatic movement, 33 jewels and the tip of the rotor is 21k gold.  Like all AP watches it is beautifully finished.  AP have never skimped on the quality – for example, the movement sits inside a single billet of machined 18k gold, rather than steel with the gold bezel added on later.  This example is working well, but does have a few cosmetic issues.  The original dial is good enough not to touch, but the bezel has been polished and is not quite as crisp as it could be.  The bracelet also has some stretch and light marks.  On the plus size we have a good size bracelet, and a spare link, so this should fit most wrists.

Our original plan for this watch was to have the bracelet tightened, the bezel exchanged and the case polished correctly by AP.  This would not be cheap, but then you have a £10-11,000 watch with the cosmetics to match the mechanicals.  The Corona virus shutdown has forced us to alter these plans, and if the watch does not sell at this price we might still do that.  But the new price will reflect the extra work.

This watch will be supplied with the original presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.

Please see the HD video for more detail.  All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned.  We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.

​SIZE

Width with crown  37.4 mm

Width without crown  34.6 mm

Lug to lug length  44.1 mm

Case Thickness  7.9 mm

Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 200 mm when the spare link is fitted.  The bracelet can be sized for you if you give us your wrist size when placing the order.

All sizes are approximate.

Included with this watch is a 6 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses.  If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries.  Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us.   Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.

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