Audemars Piguet reference 5503 – the epitome of the rare vintage chronograph

Collecting · · by Christian Bissener


Rose and steel Audemars Piguet chronograph with moon phase and calendar subdials, brown suede strap

Every vintage chronograph made by Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus can be called rare: only 307 were produced from the 1930s to the 1960s, counting moon phases, three-register models and the rest. Even among them one reference stands out, the 5503 with chronograph, full calendar and moon phase.

Reference 5503

The 5503 was made in only five pieces in a combination of steel and pink gold. One of them was later re-cased in full yellow gold and belongs to the Audemars Piguet heritage collection today. All five have the legendary 13VZAQ movement. Only 20 watches were made with this double complication of chronograph and full calendar with moon phase: 16 in full gold cases and four in steel and pink gold, counting the re-cased example.

For the collector the 5503 is among the summits of vintage watches. Not only are there just four in steel and pink gold, each of the four has a different dial design.

Rose gold and steel chronograph with moon phase disc, white dial and dark brown strap
The discreet two-tone shading of the dial

No. 46 538

No. 46 538 is the only one with a blue tachymeter scale in miles. It combines Art Deco style square hour indexes with a two-tone dial, finished in two different ways for the main dial and the sub-dials. The effect is very discreet and very fine. It is also the only one of the four that still has a copy of its original production sheet, along with a note by Charles Jean Stern about the dial, which states that it was to be completely gravé émaillé.

Handwritten production sheet with printed fields for case, movement and dial, partly filled in
Production sheet of No. 46 538, from Dr. Helmut Crott’s Le Cadran

Handwritten note in French on lined paper
The note by Charles Jean Stern: the dial to be completely gravé émaillé

The other examples

No. 45 983 and No. 46 538 are in the collections of two of the greatest collectors. The fifth watch, No. 46 539, is known only from the description in the Audemars Piguet archives: a steel and gold case with the calendar in English. No. 45 980 is in the Audemars Piguet heritage collection (inventory 237).

Gold-toned chronograph with moon phase, brown subdial and brown leather strap, on a black background beside a data panel
One of the four steel and pink gold examples, with a different dial design

Yellow gold chronograph with silver dial, moon phase and calendar subdials on a brown leather strap
No. 46 931, re-cased in 18 ct yellow gold – Audemars Piguet heritage collection (inventory 1743)

With only 307 chronographs in total across these decades, every Audemars Piguet chronograph of the period can be considered rare, especially against the production numbers of Patek Philippe and Rolex.

My thanks to Raphaël Balestra of the Audemars Piguet archives, who helped with photographs and information. His book “Complicated Wristwatches” is recommended, as is “Le Cadran” by Dr. Helmut Crott.