Manufacturer: Audemars Piguet Year: 2001 Reference No: 25721TI Movement No: 483'149 Case No: 559 and E39880 Model Name: Royal Oak Offshore "The Beast" Material: Titanium Calibre: Automatic, cal. 2126/2840, 51 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Titanium Audemars Piguet bracelet, max length 195mm Clasp/Buckle: Titanium Audemars Piguet deployant clasp Dimensions: 42mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: Accompanied by Audemars Piguet Certificat d'Origine, presentation box and outer packaging. Furthermore accompanied by Audemars Piguet Extract from the Archives.
Catalogue Essay
In the early 1990s, Audemars Piguet tasked its in-house designer Emmanuel Gueit to reinvent the classic Royal Oak model and infuse it with new life and power. For years, Gueit and his team worked on a prototype and subsequently presented the final product, reference 25721, in 1993 at Basel. The result was astonishing and something completely different from what the public had ever seen before. It was shortly nicknamed “The Beast” due to what was, at the time, its astonishing 42mm case size. The launch of reference 25721 marked the beginning of the Offshore lineage. In fact, it arguably established the trend for large-sized watches, which today is the complete norm.
The present "E Series" version features a beautiful dial that has turned brown over the years. This "tropical" effect is completely astonishing, and the brown tone is incredibly saturated. There is no telling how a watch will turn in tone over time, and this particular example has aged in a stunning manner. As an added detail, it is accompanied by its Certificate of Origin, presentation box adding another layer of collectibility. Most interestingly, the original owner was incredibly close to Audemars Piguet, and bought the timepiece directly from the manufacture and not a boutique, which explains the blank guarantee - in fact, the internal Audemars Piguet archives note that the watch was sold directly to this individual client.
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.