Buyers Guide to Audemars Piguet Watches

Audemars Piguet was established in 1875 in the heartland of watchmaking, the Vallée du Joux. This independent family business remains one of the oldest surviving watch manufacturers and an exclusive horological company in terms of production. Due to the fusion of complex mechanisms with innovative designs in the Audemars Piguet collections, such watches are tremendously popular with watch collectors.

Watches

Buyers Guide to Audemars Piguet Watches

What to collect?

Audemars Piguet is a big name among prestigious watchmaking companies, included in the ‘Big Three’ along with Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. As a high end, well-respected company, Audemars Piguet are known for their quality and appreciative value. As approximately only 31,000 watches are produced each year, these exclusive classic watches are guaranteed to increase in value as they increase in rarity over time. Among their most popular collections are the Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, Jules Audemars, Millenary, Tradition and Classique models. Audemars Piguet watches are likely to rise in terms of popularity with watch collectors due to the company’s rapidly progressing involvement with the art world.

Factors which contribute to the value of a timepiece include rarity, maker, complication and material. While the general watchmaking industry has weakened in recent years – particularly for the Swiss watchmaking industry due to the rise of the Swiss franc against most currencies, as well as the decline of the Asian market – according to the company’s CEO, Audemars Piguet have not suffered from the effects of the worsening economic climate.

Audemars Piguet manufacture both main types of watches; the mechanical watch and the quartz, battery operated watch. Although the quartz watch has a longer running time and is beneficial in terms of accuracy, mechanical movement watches tend to sustain longer value due to the complexity of the elements within. One must also bear in mind that today’s market demands that the condition of watches must be as close to the original condition as possible for them to be of any considerable value.

Budget

When it comes to watch collecting, it is crucial that you know your budget. You must base your search on the extent of your investment and stick to your budget. It is important to attempt to purchase the very best within your budget, as it is far better to opt for fewer, higher quality timepieces rather than many, lower quality ones.

When valuing a timepiece, an expert will take into account the following details: the name of the watchmaker, the type of metal used, the notations of the case and the movement, the complexity of the timepiece, and whether or not the case, dial and movement belong together or if there is potentially another form of “marriage” (this factor will devalue a timepiece.) Finally, the expert will determine the date of manufacture. Association with famous people, sporting events, and automobiles also contribute to the timepiece’s value.

Where to buy?

At ValueMyStuff, we would advise that all new watch and clock collectors join the British Horological Society, the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) or the Antiquarian Horological Society. These associations provide collectors with horological education through their publications in addition to access into an inclusive library, which has a loan programme, as well as easy access to meetings with other collectors.

Unfortunately, the extent of counterfeits in the watch industry is enormous and with constant improvements in technology, detection of counterfeits has become far more difficult. Therefore, it is incredibly important that you buy your watch from a reputable dealer who is a member of a professional trade organization, or from a leading auction house with a specialized watch department, where the watches have be reviewed and vetted by experts.

Leading online auction house Auctionata hosts watch auctions in Berlin and New York. In these auctions, timepieces from many prestigious watchmaking companies are available, including Audemars Piguet. On Thursday 16th June, the limited edition Audemars Piguet Millenary Tourbillon Maserati MC12 will feature in Auctionata’s, “Luxury Watches: Property of a Gentleman II” auction. This timepiece is one of only 150 made and is part of the most exclusive collection manufactured by Audemars Piguet. The estimate stands at €130,000, as valued jointly by ValueMyStuff and Auctionata experts, but with an attractive starting price of €65,000. This watch has a manual wind movement and a distinctive skeletonized dial, and its case and clasps are made of 950 platinum, adding a luxurious weight to the watch. Audemars Piguet worked in conjunction with Maserati to celebrate the success of the MC12 race-car in the 2005, FIA GT Manufacturers’ Cup, and thus this timepiece’s name and style is linked to the MC12. The watch itself carries the signature themes of the supercar, including the iconic blue and white colours. Stylistically, this watch differs from a traditional watch, as Audemars Piguet used an oval form for the case rather than the traditional circular case, which was said to have been inspired by the architecture of the Roman colosseum. Every element within the Audemars Piguet Tourbillon Maserati MC12 was constructed by hand, and the openwork style of the watch creates a counterbalance between modern and classic.

Click here to view the upcoming watch auctions at Auctionata.

Interested in selling items you have had valued by ValueMyStuff? Contact meave@valuemystuff.com with your valuation reference number and address to discuss consigning your item!

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