Audemars Piguet

After the introduction of the original Royal Oak, the reference 5402 in 1972, Audemars Piguet started to experiment with both the size of the Royal Oak and the materials used to make it. In 1992, Audemars Piguet released a slightly scaled-down Royal Oak Ref 14790 with a diameter of 36mm. Unlike some rescaling of the iconic designs, the original Royal Oak’s aesthetic was faithfully preserved in its new case size and remained in production until the turn of the millennium. Furthermore, many collectors tend to favour this reference for its unparalleled comfort on the wrist.

The 14790 is divided into three series. The first two series have the small tapisserie dial, the Mk 1 with straight font Audemars Piguet signature and the MK 2 with the capitalised "A" and "P". The last series is defined by the grande tapisserie dial.

This lot is an attractive example of the second series, combining a more modernist AP signature while staying faithful to the original aesthetic codes with the small tapisserie dial.

The calibre powering this watch is the 2225. The main calibre that equiped the 14790. Some early models were equiped with the 2125, while the last models had the 2325. All three calibre are base on the same ébauche of the Jaeger-LeCoultre 889.

Furthermore, it comes equipped with the elusive salmon dial. This dial is only rarely seen on reference 14790. Based on scholars, the watch was not sold with this configuration, but some lucky collectors were able to order it at a later stage. It is a very rare chance to acquire this legendary reference with this stunning salmon dial. The watch also comes accompanied by its presentation case and its certificate of origin.