Important in Crosshairs: Jumbo AP-Automatic Classic Calatrava

Audemars Piguet Automatic Classic Crosshair-Calatrava, Important & Turler-DoubleSigned, cal2499


CHF 8,700

WHY WE LOVE IT? Because it is a mid-50s important AP: their 1st automatic.

Indeed, the 1st generation of automatics used by Audemars Piguet was the cal2498- / cal2499-stream (small- / center-second). Because of the Rolex-Perpetual patent (1933 - 1953) AP had to wait until 1954 to use rotor-automatics and one of the first was the one offered: a cal2499 made in 1955 or 1956 and proudly sold by the Zurich-based jeweler Türler.

The three-part 18K-case (36mm ex crown) with the exalted downward lugs and the characteristic concave flank (middle part) was made by Charles Dubois & Cie, LeLocle (Poincon de Maitre Hammer[170]) for AP and has the serialnumber 9'XXX and the movement-number is 61'XXX. 36mm make it a back-then Jumbo / oversized case and it is still in good condition, was very lightly polished somewhen in the last 70y and has developed a fine red-hue patinae thereafter. The same orange- / red-tone is visible on the gold hands and indexes. And the dial comes with a even caramel-patina as well. Beautiful.


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