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Lot Essay
TANTALUM & PLATINUM ROYAL OAK QUANTIÈME PERPÉTUEL OFFICIALLY A LIMITED EDITION OF 15 – ONLY 9 PIECES MADE
Ever so desirable and an incredible rarity, according to the official Audemars Piguet information at the time, reference 25820TP was planned as a limited edition of 15 examples in 1997, probably as part of the Royal Oak’s 25th anniversary celebrations. However, and very excitingly for collectors, recent in-depth research has confirmed that a total of only 9 pieces of this perpetual calendar model were finally produced in tantalum and platinum. In fact, a total of 25 Royal Oak cases were actually manufactured in tantalum and platinum but allocated unevenly between the two different models, the silvered dial version including the present watch, and the openworked version: 9 pieces for reference 25820TP and 16 pieces for the openworked reference 25829TP.
The tantalum and platinum reference 25820TP Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel has been described as “the King of all Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars”. Undoubtedly, this reference is one of the most desirable and coveted of all complicated vintage Royal Oaks, an ultimate prize for the collector and a significant AP heritage timepiece. Preserved in extremely good condition, the present watch is offered with Audemars Piguet Certificate of Authenticity and recent service documents.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ref. 25820 was available with five dial variants in stainless steel, two dial variants in 18K yellow gold, two in platinum, three in stainless steel with platinum, a tantalum and rose-gold version, a tantalum and yellow-gold version, and the most desired of all - the present tantalum and platinum version.
Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73 that was previously known as tantalium. Named after Tantalus, a figure in Greek mythology, tantalum is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, blue-gray transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant. Platinum has very closely allied complementary properties to those of tantalum and the two metals are natural companions. Although constructed of ‘bi-metal’ with a ‘mono-colour’ aesthetic, the subtle difference in the grey/white shades of colour between the two metals provides a uniquely rich aesthetic and presence to the model.
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.
Ever so desirable and an incredible rarity, according to the official Audemars Piguet information at the time, reference 25820TP was planned as a limited edition of 15 examples in 1997, probably as part of the Royal Oak’s 25th anniversary celebrations. However, and very excitingly for collectors, recent in-depth research has confirmed that a total of only 9 pieces of this perpetual calendar model were finally produced in tantalum and platinum. In fact, a total of 25 Royal Oak cases were actually manufactured in tantalum and platinum but allocated unevenly between the two different models, the silvered dial version including the present watch, and the openworked version: 9 pieces for reference 25820TP and 16 pieces for the openworked reference 25829TP.
The tantalum and platinum reference 25820TP Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel has been described as “the King of all Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars”. Undoubtedly, this reference is one of the most desirable and coveted of all complicated vintage Royal Oaks, an ultimate prize for the collector and a significant AP heritage timepiece. Preserved in extremely good condition, the present watch is offered with Audemars Piguet Certificate of Authenticity and recent service documents.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ref. 25820 was available with five dial variants in stainless steel, two dial variants in 18K yellow gold, two in platinum, three in stainless steel with platinum, a tantalum and rose-gold version, a tantalum and yellow-gold version, and the most desired of all - the present tantalum and platinum version.
Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73 that was previously known as tantalium. Named after Tantalus, a figure in Greek mythology, tantalum is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, blue-gray transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant. Platinum has very closely allied complementary properties to those of tantalum and the two metals are natural companions. Although constructed of ‘bi-metal’ with a ‘mono-colour’ aesthetic, the subtle difference in the grey/white shades of colour between the two metals provides a uniquely rich aesthetic and presence to the model.
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.