Audemars Piguet

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 those of a 14790.

However, my intuition still tells me it’s a franken watch: The dial looks exactly like a 14800, why would AP change only the footing while keeping the aesthetic the same? They were also unable to find any records of it in their archives but assured me that it is the original dial.

Any info is appreciated!

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.

Thanks for the reply. Here are the things that I've seen on a 14800 but not on a 14790: 1. The stylized "Audemars Piguet" logo in addition with the "AUTOMATIC" in straight font (14800 have flat top "A"s, whereas 14790s have pointed "A"s). 2. A thicker minute mark at 12 o'clock. 3. "SWISS MADE" right up against the case.



14800




14790

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.

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! usual antics from dealers

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 opportunity of requesting a Salmon Dial for their 14790. These Salmon dial 14790’s have appeared, albeit very rarely, on the market and some refer to them as ‘special order’ while others say the dial is simply lifted from the 14800, that had a run of salmon dials. What is true is up to the collectors interpretation."
Interesting, I figured the salmon was a standard but just rare option. I would 100% want to contact AP before buying one and validate that it was a special order watch. The idea of a seller just popping a salmon dial in to increase the value is annoying - and then you overpay for an unoriginal piece.

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 100% original and were not meant for an any other reference. It was confirmed they would not fit any Royal Oak except a 14790. It is also visible these dials were produced some time in the mid 1990's based on their scripts and tritium lume. It would line up with the production of the Royal Oak 14802 Jubilee Salmon dial.
Lastly, it is likely that these dials were fitted on to final stocks of 14790 in AD shops as a sales boost and also offered as an option to 14790 owners, presumably VIP clients, to come back in, buy the dial and have it installed on their watch."

Congratulations and thanks for sharing!

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

more likely is money and greed - when in doubt its usually the reason. easy way to turn a big profit for unscrupulous dealers

how to sell at a stiff price and as special/VIP stuff what in reality wasn't selling...

both the same footing largely and even still would say compatible as same size and footing doesnt matter exactly that much