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Lot Essay
This ravishingly beautiful ‘Tuscan Dial’ Royal Oak Quantième Perpétuel 25654ST can only be described as a collectors dream. Almost never seen at auction, the Tuscan dial’s immense rarity and highly distinctive aesthetic places it as one of the most desirable of all Audemars Piguet’s ‘no leap year’ perpetual calendar Royal Oaks. Furthermore, it is presented in superb condition. It is thought that of the 800 examples of reference 25654 made in all metals, less than 30 were ever produced with this most striking and beautiful of dial variations, the ‘Tuscan’ dial. As only 272 pieces of the entire reference were made in stainless steel, the present watch can be considered as one of the most exclusive and elusive vintage Royal Oak perpetual calendars to be offered at international auction in recent years.
The deep blue colour and hammered finish of the so-called ‘Tuscan’ dial bestows an absolutely unique and immediately eye-catching aesthetic that is quite unlike any other Royal Oak dial. An extremely rare and exotic variation, it can only be found on a few watches manufactured in the 1990s. Most executions of the reference 25654 feature either smooth dials or dials engraved with Audemars Piguet’s signature ‘tappisserie’ pattern.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 25654
An undoubted classic of the Royal Oak family, 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, 800 examples were made in total including 422 in yellow gold; 272 in steel; 72 in two-tone; 33 in platinum, and one in white gold. 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. 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.
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 deep blue colour and hammered finish of the so-called ‘Tuscan’ dial bestows an absolutely unique and immediately eye-catching aesthetic that is quite unlike any other Royal Oak dial. An extremely rare and exotic variation, it can only be found on a few watches manufactured in the 1990s. Most executions of the reference 25654 feature either smooth dials or dials engraved with Audemars Piguet’s signature ‘tappisserie’ pattern.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 25654
An undoubted classic of the Royal Oak family, 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, 800 examples were made in total including 422 in yellow gold; 272 in steel; 72 in two-tone; 33 in platinum, and one in white gold. 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. 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.
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.