• Free worldwide delivery

When we think of Audemars Piguet nowadays, the first thing we think about is the Royal Oak (or the code 11.59 if you’re Jasper). But that obscures AP’s distinguished history of producing exquisitely finished dress watches.The traditional Swiss watch industry was in disarray in the late 1970s and early 1980s as cheap Japanese quartz-powered watches flooded the market. Many manufacturers either had to close up shop or were forced to consolidate just to keep afloat. Right when the mechanical watch looked to have lost all relevance, Audemars Piguet released a skeletonized dress watch with an automatic movement and exquisite hand finishing.The watch was an oddity with its missing dial and almost baroque-looking open worked movement. Very few examples of this reference 5442 were produced and barely any information is available online.The 18k yellow gold case clocks in at a classic 33 mm and features an elegant thin bezel with matching thin straight lugs. The exquisitely hand engraved automatic movement—the same base caliber used in the original ref. 5402 Royal Oak—is visible through the front and back of the watch.The watch has just returned from a full service at Audemars Piguet and comes with the corresponding service papers, an extract from the Audemars Piguet archives, and a service box. We’ve pared the watch with an elegant black alligator strap.