Audemars Piguet White Gold 'Ellipse' Dress Watch - Grey Dial w/ 'Lapis Lazuli' Indices

The year 1972 was the advent of what is undeniably Audemars Piguet's most famous, significant, and yes, iconic line of watches, the Royal Oak. It was also the year that the 'high-end dress watch' would forever change. Prior to 1972, ultra-thin and design-focused precious metal watches represented the pinnacle of the genre, not what appears to be an industrial-styled stainless steel sports watch with a bracelet. While the brand never stopped producing traditional dress watches, per-se, production of their new golden goose would dominate the rest of the lineup. And this is after considering that prior to the Royal Oak, AP made far fewer watches to start with... The piece that we have here hails from circa the 1980s, an era when brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, and even Rolex were experimenting with design-forward timepieces focused on finishing and opulence. The 26mm case and matching integrated-style bracelet are constructed out of solid white gold and are finished with a stunning 'woven' texture throughout. Inside, the dial features a light grey 'brushed' surface and factory applied lapis lazuli indices with a 'pencil' handset to compliment them. Stunning, rare, and objectively impressive. This then, is a representation of a bygone era not just for Audemars Piguet, but for what a high-end dress watch used to be. Only in the last few years have collectors and enthusiasts alike started to pay a bit more attention to pieces like these and, we think, its long overdue.