Audemars Piguet Calatrava 18k Yellow Gold circa 1953

A very unusual, 18k solid yellow gold wristwatch from Audemars Piguet, a now iconic Swiss watch company which was founded in 1875 in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland, by Jules Louis Audemars. Audemars Piguet is part of the ‘holy trinity of watch making’ and shares this prestigious title with no others then Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe. In other words, this isn’t your ordinary dress watch. And we’re just getting started…

This exquisitely preserved vintage wristwatch dates to the early 1950’s. 1953, to be precise. This year could be determined through the serial number, which is visible on the movement. The serial number falls within the range of 58000 – 58699. According to the book written by Brunner, in 1993, ‘Audemars Piguet: Masterpieces of Classical Watchmaking’, this serial number range dates to the Audemars Piguet production year 1953.

Before we zoom in on the design of this rare 1950’s Audemars Piguet wristwatch, we’re talking mechanics. Audemars Piguet did earn it’s ‘holy trinity of watch making’ for a reason. The three Swiss brands with this title, have been, and are still known, for their mechanical excellence. This example from 1953, isn’t an exception. The solid gold case features a manually wound Audemars Piguet calibre 2001. This calibre is shared with Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre. The movement is finished to a very high standard, to ensure technical perfection at the time. The movement features a ‘Côte de Genève’ finishing, which refers to the diagonal brushing of the surface of the movement. Furthermore, when designing and assembling this exquisite calibre, no costs or efforts were spared in terms of quality and functionality. This also helps us to explain, why even today, the mechanical condition of this watch is superb. In other words, ready to be worn every day, without worry.

When looking at the design of this unbelievable vintage Audemars Piguet, we couldn’t help thinking of the Patek Philippe reference 96. While Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe where, and still are competitors, this watch reminds us of their early competition for excellence. Unmistakably, these two watches share many similarities in their design language. To mention a few: The size of both watches is almost similar (29 versus 31 mm), the watches both feature a coin-edge bezel, and show a ‘less is more’ dial lay-out with 3 hands in total.

Audemars Piguet produced, most presumably, much less watches in the 1950’s in comparison to Patek Philippe. Therefore, finding this beautiful, unpolished and original 1953 dress watch from Audemars Piguet, with a very recognizable design, makes even the most experienced collector smile.

If you’re in for top notch quality, originality, and something very uncommon, don’t wait, before this exquisite vintage Audemars Piguet is going to be hidden in a vintage watch collection for decades to come.