sgfrkk96
37
My theory
I am going to guess the 14800s just didn't sell all that well to begin with, let alone the salmon dials. AP made the dials for the 14800 and probably had quite a few spares sitting around being unused. So they pitched it to clients of 14790s as a unique way to make them feel special/VIP to get this dial in their 14790. Of course this is my speculation, but we've seen it done in many other brands and even industries 
Available on the marketplace
Can an AP 14790 be fitted with a 14800 dial?
What do people think about the possibility of a white dial from a 14800 being fitted into a 14790 case? According to this article , it’s “impossible.” Furthermore, my AP boutique confirmed that the footings on the back of the 14800 dial are different from...
As far as I've seen online,
this dial could very well belong to a 14790 (many 14790 can be seen with the exact same dial). But I know very little about Royal Oaks, tbh. What is it exactly that, according to you, belongs exclusively to a 14800 dial and not to a 14790?
Ok, now I understand better.
But it seems easy to find online some 14790st models with the kind of dial you say only belongs to 14800. For example this 14790st with a salmon dial sold with box & papers by Lieblingskapital.de. ...
salmon dials switched !
dealers will say special order and cant be swapped. but well its to sell an cheapish watch for lot of money. never seen a 14790 with salmon dial in any of my original AP marketing/catalogs etc . also the box/papers in that listing definitely not original!...
Article on 14790 with a section about salmon dials
www.watchbrotherslondon.com "There are unconfirmed rumors of a Salmon dial 14790. After the release of the 14802ST (Salmon Dial) in 1992 for the 20th anniversary of the jumbo 5402ST, rumor has it privileged customers of the Audemars Piguet had the...
A listing of a 14790 salmon with some interesting information
www.db1983.com "Salmon dials on the 14790 are a bit of a mystery. Audemars Piguet's heritage department has confirmed a few things for us: Firstly, the 14790 reference was originally delivered with a salmon dial. More importantly, these dials are ...
The information you have found is very interesting and solves or seems to solve a good part of the mystery.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing!
My theory
I am going to guess the 14800s just didn't sell all that well to begin with, let alone the salmon dials. AP made the dials for the 14800 and probably had quite a few spares sitting around being unused. So they pitched it to clients of 14790s as a unique w...
v speculative
more likely is money and greed - when in doubt its usually the reason. easy way to turn a big profit for unscrupulous dealers
That's how I personally understood sgfrkk96's "theory":
how to sell at a stiff price and as special/VIP stuff what in reality wasn't selling...
many loose dials on c24 ! for both 14790 and 14800 . can see
both the same footing largely and even still would say compatible as same size and footing doesnt matter exactly that much