1985 Royal Oak Audemars Piguet Questions

[RIWatcher]

Well here is another mystery in the watch collection... I dont know much about the brand or model. Any information would greatly be appreciated.




1985 Royal Oak Audemars Piguet
C14927
Purchased somewhere in Europe.

[Trev]

I saw a (used) 18k model of the same design advertised online once. It looked really nice. I'll be interested to hear more.

[boa2]

I'm guessing fake. Either that, or it's a dateless RO I've never seen, in which case it
has a lot of faults...screws aren't right, hands aren't right, missing labeling, etc.

[RIWatcher]

Originally Posted by boa2

I'm guessing fake. Either that, or it's a dateless RO I've never seen, in which case it
has a lot of faults...screws aren't right, hands aren't right, missing labeling, etc.

how would I confirm if its a fake? anything I can do on my end?

[dsio]

AP is one of the top tier brands, well above the likes of Rolex and Omega.

Would need better pics (and someone that knows AP well) to know if its fake or not, but AP did definitely make a Quartz no complication no date version of the Royal Oak within that period. Its the least desirable version of a very desirable watch, but given that the other watches you've inherited are definitely real, I wouldn't say its a fake off the bat.

Here's one at Antiquorum listed: http://catalog.antiquorum.com/catalo...&auctionid=210

It sold for $1680 USD, which is about as cheap as an AP will get, so it probably also isn't worth selling. But being able to say that your cheapo beater is an AP isn't a bad thing ;)

[boa2]

Originally Posted by RIWatcher

how would I confirm if its a fake? anything I can do on my end?

You could certainly have an AP dealer, or the service center in Florida authenticate the watch.

What I see that causes suspicion:
The dial should have 'Audemars Piguet' on it. I can't tell if it was there and fell off. The hand length and WG surrounds appear off in the photo--wrong shape/shape. Unless there is an exception, Royal Oaks have white gold screws. These look to be SS, and they are not placed correctly. There are no minute markers on the dial. And the AP logo is small and low on the dial. That's why I'm guessing fake.

[RIWatcher]

the name is on the face but definitely faded. The picture doesn't do it justice as it was taken with my phone. Droid first Gen Samsung.

The watch feels particularly worn, it is possible this was a watch worn right into the ground.

Once again I am thankful for the insight into my questions.

On a side note there is a large AP on the Band of the watch.

[Submarino]

Originally Posted by RIWatcher

the name is on the face but definitely faded. The picture doesn't do it justice as it was taken with my phone. Droid first Gen Samsung.

The watch feels particularly worn, it is possible this was a watch worn right into the ground.

Once again I am thankful for the insight into my questions.

On a side note there is a large AP on the Band of the watch.

Everything on the watch seems fine to me, however, the no date dial is throwing me off. We have proper 'clous de Paris' pattern on dial, proper font for a C series, hands are accurate and case still looking good and engravings are OK.

Please post pics of the clasp on bracelet. In and out.

[boa2]

Originally Posted by Submarino

Everything on the watch seems fine to me, however, the no date dial is throwing me off. We have proper 'clous de Paris' pattern on dial, proper font for a C series, hands are accurate and case still looking good and engravings are OK.

Please post pics of the clasp on bracelet. In and out.

The hour hand is longer than any RO I've seen. I've not seen a RO without minute markers, or without either "Swiss" or "Swiss Made" on the dial. If all of these elements are gone, then this is the most aged dial I've ever seen. For certain, the screws aren't correct. There is also supposed to be a slight border/chapter ring between the dial and the case, and I don't see one here. I hope I'm wrong, but there are a lot of red flags on this watch.

[Submarino]

Howard, looks like the markers are there however there's clear fading due to time. I think it's a mid-size version. I can't find info on the reference with no date. Looks like some of the nuts on the bezel were placed sideways instead of in the right direction. The bezel has clearly been over polished over time and looks more round than octagonal. We definitely need pics of the bracelet with the clasp closed and opened. Also a lateral shot of the watchcase would help.

[RIWatcher]

additional picture:



I tried taking pictures of the band open to get the writing, its a solid gold clasp with inner markings of a diamond with "750" written in it (the gold stamp), "Audemars Piguet & CO. SWISS" then there are 3 more tiny stamps I cant make out.

[boa2]

Originally Posted by RIWatcher

additional picture:



I tried taking pictures of the band open to get the writing, its a solid gold clasp with inner markings of a diamond with "750" written in it (the gold stamp), "Audemars Piguet & CO. SWISS" then there are 3 more tiny stamps I cant make out.

I have another friend looking at these as well, and he also said it would be worth having AP take a look at it, because it's tough to tell. Any more pics of the dial? The font on the clasp looks much better than the fakes of that period, so it certainly could be authentic, and simply a model I've never seen. The odd thing to me is the slope of the polished portion of the bezel. It shouldn't be so steep. But it could be from lots of polishing by someone other than AP.

[WatchTimes]

I like it, I have wanted a Quartz RO for sometime now.

I think its a fun unique piece to have.

[RIWatcher]

Here are some more close ups:

[boa2]

Originally Posted by RIWatcher

Here are some more close ups:

Definitely looks more authentic in those images, and I'm now guessing it is. There are still some elements that don't look right, but it could be from age, use of improper parts, etc. It loooks as though someone has really polished the heck out of that bezel. The angles have all been softened, and it looks like some height has been taken out of it. You might have an AD look at it if possible. I don't think it would be worth spending a lot of money to restore it, but it could be a fun watch to wear.

[vukotab]

I saw mid-size quartz model last year, I even had chance to buy it (but I didn`t). It was model with date, though...
Here are pics of dateless model (borrowed from the web), I hope they`ll help.

[Ranfni]

Originally Posted by vukotab

I saw mid-size quartz model last year, I even had chance to buy it (but I didn`t). It was model with date, though...
Here are pics of dateless model (borrowed from the web), I hope they`ll help.

Someone really mangled the screws...take a closer look.

[RIWatcher]

Found out the entire watch is 18k

[Submarino]

Originally Posted by RIWatcher

Here are some more close ups:

Definitely authentic!!!

The bezel starts getting rounded after extreme polishing outside of the AP Service Center. Here's a pic of one of my ROs so you can see how mine has also lost the perfect octagonal shape. As a matter of fact, AP told me that mine can only be refinished one more time only. After that I am screwed because there are no more bezels to replace mine in case something happens to it.

Please do not have anyone polish that bezel other than AP.

[RIWatcher]

Sub nice TT,

I have no clue what to do with the Royal Oak I have, no one around here has much interest in it so most likely I will be looking to sell it at some point. Given its age, there has been talk of just melting it down for its gold (I do not joke) it is 18k and extremely heavy.

Way gold is priced, I wouldnt be surprised.

[WatchTimes]

I will give you melt value if you are seriously going that route.

I really think it would be worth more than melt value.

Email me if you are serious about selling this.
Its not something I LUST after by any means but for the right price it would be nice sitting next to my Rolex Oysterquartz.