First Series 14790BA Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

The 14790 is one of the longest-lived Royal Oak references made. Debuting in 1992, it ran until 2006. In that time we saw the transition from petite to grande tapisserie, Gay Frères single pin bracelets to AP dual screw bracelets, the expansion of possible dials, calibre 2125 to 2225, tritium to luminova, and an explosion of metals. Of all myriad combinations, this gold on gold Mark 1 example is one of the best. It’s the 50k watch that looks like it should be at least double that.

Nearly all collectors hold preference for the Mark 1 dial, which has an Audemars Piguet signature where all letters are of even, consistent height. These were limited to the early 1990s and by the late 90s all dials had moved to mixed caps. Then by the time we moved to 2000 things switch from petite to grande tapissierie with short indices and a very different impression. The early series of 14790 including Mark 1 dials are some of the last watches which give the visual impression of early Royal Oak, in line with the Royal Oak III and 4332. At this point in time AP owned 50% of JLC, which is why this runs a JLC 889 ébauche. And that’s no bad thing.

The dimensions really don’t tell the full story, most will agree the 14790 wears a touch larger than the 3800 comparably mid-sized Nautilus. But that’s 37.5mm and the Royal Oak is 36mm. Where the lug to lug of the 3800 is 40mm, the 14790 measures 46mm—which is a huge difference. That’s not often understood. The other number to mention is the price, which is a relatively pleasant surprise. A 5402BA runs at minimum 100k (that’s a 12.5k per mm difference). The aforementioned 3800J Nautilus is roughly an 85k proposition now. And this at 51k. Why? They made more. But in some ways it’s a more perfect offering for many in the market today. Value is always worth calling out directly.

This example feels quite honest and lovely from what I can see. The case is quite sharp and quite honest, if you look closely you'll see wear all along those bevels. The dial is tritium and tan, which is the best you can hope for. It comes as a complete set plus Extract from a well-regarded London retailer.