Audemars Piguet - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVI Geneva Saturday, November 5, 2022 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Audemars Piguet
    Year: 2000
    Reference No: 25721ST
    Movement No: E39531 and 2260
    Case No: 494'380
    Model Name: Royal Oak Offshore "The Beast"
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 2126/2840, 51 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Audemars Piguet bracelet, max length 185mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Audemars Piguet deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 42mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Audemars Piguet Certificate of Origin dated 2000.

  • 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 25721ST, 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 25721ST 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 and even. 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 adding another layer of collectibility.

  • 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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Ref. 25721ST
A rare and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with "tropical" dial, bracelet and guarantee

2000
42mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF25,000 - 50,000 
€25,700-51,500
$25,000-50,100

Sold for CHF27,720

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East
+41 22 317 81 81
AGhotbi@phillips.com
 

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva
+41 22 317 96 63
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XVI

Geneva Auction 5 - 6 November 2022