Swiss gold skeletonized minute repeating lever watch Circa 1986

Gold skeletonized minute repeater by Audemars Piguet
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A Swiss 18 carat gold skeletonized minute repeating pocket watch, circa 1986. Audemars Piguet confirms that this timepiece was sold in 1986 in the USA. Lever movement, manual winding, 29 jewels. Skeletonized dial, sapphire-set hour markers, subsidiary seconds. Case and movement signed and numbered. Comes with the original presentation box.
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Diameter: 43 mm
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Signed: Audemars Piguet
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A range of skeletonized Audemars Piguet watches contemporary to this watch are reviewed in ‘Audemars Piguet: 125 Ans d’Audace’ by G. Brunner, C. Pfeiffer-Belli & M. Wehrli. It is interesting to note the variety of shapes and ornamentation of the illustrated examples, none of which are yellow gold and sapphire-set like the present piece, and none of which are minute repeating models.
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According to literature, fewer than twenty examples of the minute repeating cal. 2850 were produced in the late 1980s, of which this watch is one. It can be presumed that those movements were fitted to a variety of cases, of which only a handful are known to be skeletonized, making this particular piece one of an exceedingly small sub-group.
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The design permits the beholder to experience the minute repetition both visually and auditorily.