Some of us may forget that two decades ago before the Royal Oak became so popular, Audemars Piguet were making some astonishing dress watches. Fortunately for me, these watches now offer excellent value for money in the used market and I am considering placing a bid at a forthcoming auction for one of these! At 33mm in diameter, it is a size that I am comfortable with and Audemars Piguet's minute repeaters offer a clarity that most aspire to. Which one though is a quite a tough question. The John Shaeffer Star Wheel is a unique way of telling the time where the hour discs rotate and point towards the minute scale to tell the time (11.02 in the photo). The detailing on the skeleton watch which extends to the movement is quite a sight to behold although one might argue it is not so easy to tell the time. The fact that both watches are in platinum and the Star Wheel is limited to only ten pieces make either of these watches a compelling buy.

The Star Wheel is a AP at its creative best in the 90s.

Notice the engraved movement!