lot 14

Audemars Piguet

Royal Oak Pocket Watch Perpetual Calendar

Estimate CHF 40 000 / CHF 45 000
Starting bid CHF 40 000

Hammer price CHF 60 000
Total bids 12
Buyer’s premium will not be charged

Specification

CaseOctaganol rose gold case 750/1000 with a sapphire caseback
BraceletRose gold original Fob chain 750/1000
DialSilvered dial with Roman numerals, month & leap year indication at 12 o'clock, date indication 3 o'clock, moonphase & small seconds at 6 o'clock, weekday indication 9 o'clock
MovementVery flat hand-wound rhodium-plated movement, with Geneva stripes & perpetual calendar
Cal.5020
Ref.25728
Movement No.263893
Case No.D-22046
D=47mm
Year1993

Condition report

Case:Very good, small signs of wear
Bracelet:Very good, small signs of wear
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:All functions working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 300 degrees
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx + 5 sec/day
Papers:Yes

Details

An extremely rare, unusual and exclusive limited-edition rose gold perpetual calendar pocket watch of the famous Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet, founded in 1875. Limited edition launched in 1992 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak. Purchase date: 1993. Royal Oak octagonal case in 18k rose gold, openface, diameter 47mm, sapphire caseback with “Quantième Perpétuel” inscription, case number and the watch number in the limited series engraved on the rim. Matt silvered dial with recessed counters, blued steel Cathedrale hour and minute hands, blued steel leaf-shaped calendar counters hands, baton-shaped small seconds hand, so-called small logo. Hand-wound pocket watch caliber 5020/2820, ultra-thin, with a power reserve of up to 42 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours, minutes and small seconds, perpetual calendar with indicators of date, day of the week, month with leap year cycle, and moon phase. 18k rose gold Audemars Piguet original fob chain. Limited edition of 20 pieces.

Lot essay

Audemars Piguet officially launched the Royal Oak Pocket Watch Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition as a tribute to the famous Royal Oak design on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak. In actual fact, in 1992 the brand issued two limited editions, each of 20 pieces, the present reference and the platinum reference 25729 with a matt silvered dial. Both are presented at this sale, and both are marked with the same number in the limited edition – 15 – making the present offer exceptional.

The present reference 25728 is produced in a distinctive Royal Oak octagonal shape with a bezel featuring hex screws. The iconic Royal Oak design, adopted for a pocket watch, first appeared on the Royal Oak Pocket Watch Ref. 5691, whose production started in 1979–1980. Royal Oak pocket watches remain a collectible exclusivity, and very rarely appear on the secondary market or at auctions.

The present reference, together with the platinum reference 25729, are the only perpetual calendar pocket watches in the Royal Oak collection.

Unlike Royal Oak wristwatches, which are predominantly equipped with self-winding calibers, the present reference has a unique combination of the traditional ultra-thin hand-wound 5020 pocket caliber and a specially designed perpetual calendar module with a moonphase indicator and a small seconds hand that is never found in Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar wristwatches. Audemars Piguet developed the caliber 5020 on the base of the 16-lines hand-wound openface (Lépine) pocket watch caliber 151 movement-blank supplied by Frédéric Piguet, while the calendar module is based on a kit from the Dubois Dépraz factory. Both are long-term partners and suppliers of Audemars Piguet.

The matt silvered dial with Roman numerals, recessed counters, blued steel Cathedrale hour and minute hands, blued steel leaf-shaped calendar counters hands, and golden baton-shaped small seconds hand combine to look like a traditional late 19th/early 20th century pocket watch face. This dial design is a significant difference of the present reference from almost all Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar wristwatches, with one known exception of a rare dial variation of the two-tone reference 25654SA (hour and minute hands of which are not of Cathedrale shape).

Reasons to bid

The Royal Oak Pocket Watch Perpetual Calendar 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Ref. 25728 would be an excellent purchase for the collector who desires an extremely rare, unusual and exclusive modern pocket watch from a world-renowned traditional watch brand, one of the undisputed leaders in the haute horlogerie watch market. The present reference, together with the platinum reference 25729, are the only perpetual calendar pocket watches in the Royal Oak collection. This unique historic release, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak, is limited to 20 pieces plus 20 more pieces of the platinum version, and is therefore a true collectible rarity that certainly adds to the appeal of the present lot.

N.B.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the legendary Royal Oak, this Ineichen Auctioneers sale offers an unprecedented selection of perpetual calendar watches produced by Audemars Piguet since 1982. Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars, which enjoy the active interest of collectors, represent one of the most valuable, admirable and collectible parts of Royal Oak collection heritage. In addition, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar remains relevant as a luxurious daily wearer, enriched with a practical perpetual calendar function and self-winding movement, one of the best in its category. The keen collector should note that also offered for purchase in this sale are other attractive and collectible Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars, including the rarest and most desirable Ref. 25654BA Yellow Gold ‘Tuscany Dial’, superhot Ref. 25820ST ‘Yves Klein’, early Ref. 25654SA C-series ‘Two-tone’, stainless-steel Ref. 25829ST Open-worked, Ref. 25636BA Open-worked ‘The First Generation’, Ref. 25829OR Open-worked ‘All-Rose Gold’, Open-worked ‘Platinum Edition’ Ref. 25829PT, and a magnificent extremely rare Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked pocket watch in platinum, among others.