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Lot Essay
An incredible rarity, the stainless steel reference 25654ST Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel was one of the only steel perpetual calendar wristwatches to be made in series available on the market at the time. Produced between 1982 and 1993, only 272 pieces were made in steel, today this reference is one of the most desirable and coveted of all vintage Royal Oaks, the definitive luxury sports watch.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar combines two of the great icons of Audemars Piguet’s heritage, the Royal Oak model and the perpetual calendar complication. The beauty of the salmon coloured dial is hard to beat and is certainly one of the most successful and appealing colour combinations ever produced for the Royal Oak range. Sporting the same 39 mm. diameter case as the original Royal Oak reference 5402, the perpetual calendar reference 25654 also shared a characteristic of many of the earlier Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar models in not having a leap-year indication on the dial. In fact the leap-year function did not appear on the Royal Oak until the caliber 2120⁄2802 movement was introduced in 1993. The dials of the reference 25654 generally have a smooth finish, not decorated with the typical AP ‘tapisserie’ pattern and have a lunar calendar on the edge of the moon phase aperture. They can be distinguished as ‘Mark 1’ with small ‘Audemars Piguet Automatic’ script at 6 o’clock and ‘Mark 2’ with noticeably larger ‘Audemars Piguet’ script.
Preserved in extremely good condition, this fine D-series stainless steel AP Quantieme Perpetuel automatic is both visually striking and highly wearable, yet at the same time a complicated and significant AP heritage timepiece.
The Royal Oak
Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is a phenomenon, one of the most recognizable and successful wristwatch models of all time and the first luxury steel sports watch. The concept of the luxury sports watch was completely alien when the Royal Oak was introduced in 1972. Of course Rolex had been producing steel Submariners and GMT-Masters for many years before, but the Rolex steel watches were regarded not as luxury watches as such, but as working instruments or tool watches for professionals. The Royal Oak was designed by none other than Gerald Genta, the man behind many of the most enduring wristwatch designs of the last 50 years. The watch featuring an octagonal screwed bezel that was initially inspired by an antique diver’s helmet is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic wristwatch designs of the 20th century. Not only is it the cornerstone of the brand’s success until today, it was also the forerunner of other iconic watches like the Patek Philippe Nautilus which was based upon similar design principles by Gerald Genta.
Collectors have long been discovering and researching the rarities from the last almost 50 years of production of the Royal Oak. Early examples from the ‘A’ series, tropical dials, perpetual calendars and precious metal versions have all captured the serious attention of watch enthusiasts. Allying dominant design and ground-breaking materials, the watches of the Royal Oak collection are amongst the most coveted timepieces ever, enjoying a continuously expanding popularity.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar combines two of the great icons of Audemars Piguet’s heritage, the Royal Oak model and the perpetual calendar complication. The beauty of the salmon coloured dial is hard to beat and is certainly one of the most successful and appealing colour combinations ever produced for the Royal Oak range. Sporting the same 39 mm. diameter case as the original Royal Oak reference 5402, the perpetual calendar reference 25654 also shared a characteristic of many of the earlier Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar models in not having a leap-year indication on the dial. In fact the leap-year function did not appear on the Royal Oak until the caliber 2120⁄2802 movement was introduced in 1993. The dials of the reference 25654 generally have a smooth finish, not decorated with the typical AP ‘tapisserie’ pattern and have a lunar calendar on the edge of the moon phase aperture. They can be distinguished as ‘Mark 1’ with small ‘Audemars Piguet Automatic’ script at 6 o’clock and ‘Mark 2’ with noticeably larger ‘Audemars Piguet’ script.
Preserved in extremely good condition, this fine D-series stainless steel AP Quantieme Perpetuel automatic is both visually striking and highly wearable, yet at the same time a complicated and significant AP heritage timepiece.
The Royal Oak
Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is a phenomenon, one of the most recognizable and successful wristwatch models of all time and the first luxury steel sports watch. The concept of the luxury sports watch was completely alien when the Royal Oak was introduced in 1972. Of course Rolex had been producing steel Submariners and GMT-Masters for many years before, but the Rolex steel watches were regarded not as luxury watches as such, but as working instruments or tool watches for professionals. The Royal Oak was designed by none other than Gerald Genta, the man behind many of the most enduring wristwatch designs of the last 50 years. The watch featuring an octagonal screwed bezel that was initially inspired by an antique diver’s helmet is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic wristwatch designs of the 20th century. Not only is it the cornerstone of the brand’s success until today, it was also the forerunner of other iconic watches like the Patek Philippe Nautilus which was based upon similar design principles by Gerald Genta.
Collectors have long been discovering and researching the rarities from the last almost 50 years of production of the Royal Oak. Early examples from the ‘A’ series, tropical dials, perpetual calendars and precious metal versions have all captured the serious attention of watch enthusiasts. Allying dominant design and ground-breaking materials, the watches of the Royal Oak collection are amongst the most coveted timepieces ever, enjoying a continuously expanding popularity.