Audemars Piguet - The Geneva Watch Auction: XII Geneva Saturday, November 7, 2020 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Audemars Piguet
    Year: 1999
    Reference No: 25854OR
    Movement No: 461'246
    Case No: D92'198, 015
    Model Name: Royal Oak Offshore
    Material: 18K pink gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 2226, 54 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K pink gold Audemars Piguet bracelet, max length 185mm
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold Audemars Piguet double deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 42mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Audemars Piguet Extrait de Registre.

  • Catalogue Essay

    In response the quartz crisis of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak wristwatch in 1972 as the world’s first stainless steel luxury sports watch with fully integrated bracelet. Designed by famed horologer Gerald Genta, it was a model that revolutionised luxury watch design thanks to its octagonal bezel secured by eight hexagonal white gold screws. The watch had a distinctly nautical feel, and with the introduction in 1993 of the Royal Oak Offshore, Audemars Piguet sought to update the iconic Royal Oak with a sporty and even more masculine aesthetic. Stephen Urquhart, then managing director of AP, asked designer Emmanuel Gueit to update the model with a larger version in hopes of attracting a younger, more recreational buyer. Gueit retained the Royal Oak classic design, but the original’s 39mm case diameter was enlarged to a 42mm diameter case, which when released, was referred to as the “Beast”. The new Offshore featured a chronograph and calendar mechanism, along with a prominent rubber gasket sandwiched between the bezel and case, and therban – a type of rubber - coated chronograph pushers and screw down crown. These elements enhanced the nautical theme of the Royal Oak model and over the ensuing years it has often been associated with sailing events.

    The present watch is a very rare and extremely impressive iteration of that famed design. Featuring a prestigious perpetual calendar and moon phase indication in addition to a chronograph function, this specimen of reference 25854 not only is the hardly ever seen pink gold version - a true statement of luxe in itself. Made in 1999, it furthermore represents the first series of the model, distinguished by a different dial design featuring double metal rimming to the subsidiary counters and different graphics (most notably, first series examples feature a radial disposition of the day of the month in the subdial at 12 o’ clock). Finally, it remains in excellent condition: the layer of oxidation developed on the case amplifies the warmth of the timepiece and is telltale indication of a life mostly spent in the safety of a vault.

  • Artist Biography

    Audemars Piguet

    Swiss • 1881

    A specialist in the manufacture of complications since it was established in 1881, Audemars Piguet never ceases to impress with a rich history of creating bold, even audacious, timepieces underpinned by traditional watchmaking at its finest. This Le Brassus-based Swiss manufacturer is one of only two major manufacturers still owned by the founding family. Since its earliest days, AP is considered a leader in the field of minute repeaters and grande complication pocket and wristwatches. The brand is devoted to preserving the history of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux, showcased at their superb museum in Le Brassus.

    Today, the brand is best known for its Royal Oak models, a revolutionary luxury sports watch launched in 1972. Other key models include early minute repeating wristwatches, vintage chronograph wristwatches, such as the oversized reference 5020, perpetual calendar watches and the Royal Oak Offshore, first introduced in 1993.

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162

Ref. 25854OR
A massive, very attractive and highly impressive pink gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moonphases and bracelet

1999
42mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF75,000 - 150,000 
€69,600-139,000
$82,100-164,000

Sold for CHF207,900

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East

41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XII

Geneva Auction 6 - 7 November 2020