Lot Essay
Audemars Piguet's chronographs from the 1920s to the 1950s are amongst the rarest gems among vintage wristwatches due to their extremely small production numbers. Examples with pulsation scales are probably the very rarest, the present watch is further enhanced by its double signature for the exclusive Argentinian retailer, Corona of Buenos Aires.
Audemars Piguet have confirmed that this incredibly beautiful dial was fitted to replace the original in their workshops in 1997, the colour, finish and printing are exquisitely rendered and recapture the look of the period exactly. It is quite likely that AP accurately copied the present dial from the original dial which was presumably too oxydised or damaged to be saved, this is borne out when comparison is made to the dial design of two closely related watches, no. 44’572 and no. 44’575. Both are double signed for Corona and with tachymeter and pulsometer scales respectively. Interestingly, it is also probable that AP refinished an already printed dial to use for the base plate because a ‘ghost’ Audemars Piguet signature can be seen in a raking light behind the present word “Genève”. This work done in Audemars Piguet's workshops 25 years ago, would naturally have been incredibly expensive to carry out, showing the high regard in which this watch was held by its then owner. The result is exceptional and presents today's collectors with the opportunity to obtain a great vintage AP rarity yet with the practical advantages of top-flight AP in-house renovation.
This highly attractive watch is, to the best of our knowledge, offered here for the first time at auction. One of the most appealing vintage Audemars Piguet chronograph models, according to the AP Archives, only 11 examples were produced in yellow gold. Two other watches from this series, also double signed for Corona with numbers very close to the present watch were sold: Christie’s Geneva, 13 November 2006, lot 432 (no. 44’572); Christie’s 15 November 2010, lot 283 (no. 44’575).
Audemars Piguet have confirmed that this incredibly beautiful dial was fitted to replace the original in their workshops in 1997, the colour, finish and printing are exquisitely rendered and recapture the look of the period exactly. It is quite likely that AP accurately copied the present dial from the original dial which was presumably too oxydised or damaged to be saved, this is borne out when comparison is made to the dial design of two closely related watches, no. 44’572 and no. 44’575. Both are double signed for Corona and with tachymeter and pulsometer scales respectively. Interestingly, it is also probable that AP refinished an already printed dial to use for the base plate because a ‘ghost’ Audemars Piguet signature can be seen in a raking light behind the present word “Genève”. This work done in Audemars Piguet's workshops 25 years ago, would naturally have been incredibly expensive to carry out, showing the high regard in which this watch was held by its then owner. The result is exceptional and presents today's collectors with the opportunity to obtain a great vintage AP rarity yet with the practical advantages of top-flight AP in-house renovation.
This highly attractive watch is, to the best of our knowledge, offered here for the first time at auction. One of the most appealing vintage Audemars Piguet chronograph models, according to the AP Archives, only 11 examples were produced in yellow gold. Two other watches from this series, also double signed for Corona with numbers very close to the present watch were sold: Christie’s Geneva, 13 November 2006, lot 432 (no. 44’572); Christie’s 15 November 2010, lot 283 (no. 44’575).