1061Σ︎
Audemars Piguet
Ref. 25718BA.OO.A002XX.01
Jules Audemars Tourbillon
An exceptionally rare and mechanically impressive yellow gold tourbillon wristwatch with date and power reserve indication
Full-Cataloguing
- Teardrop lugs with off-white symmetrical dial
- Calibre 2875 with winding crown on the caseback and hammer-type style self-winding system
Audemars Piguet Ref. 25718BA Jules Audemars Tourbillon is one of those quietly historic pieces that deserves a second look. Introduced in 1993 and named for one of the manufacture’s founding fathers, it was the first wristwatch to combine a tourbillon with automatic winding, a date and power-reserve display. In an era when tourbillon wristwatches were still rare, that combination was genuinely new.
The 39mm 18k yellow-gold case already felt generous for a dress watch of the early 1990s. The aesthetic of the case revisits the style of 1950s watches with tear drop lugs where the tourbillon aperture were enlarged to sit better with the time display. The winding crown is located on the caseback powered by the calibre 2875, a hammer-type self-winding system.
The off-white dial is pleasingly symmetrical with a large recessed register of Roman numerals and leaf hands for hours and minutes; smaller counters at 9 and 3 indicates power reserve and date. Generous white space keeps the layout refined in a highly legible manner. Numbered 60 on its caseback, the presented example is an excellent timepiece for the discerning collector who seeks to acquire a rare neo-vintage masterwork that keeps time to imagination freed from constraint.
Audemars Piguet
Swiss | 1881A 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.