lot 21

Audemars Piguet

Royal Oak Day Date Moonphase

Estimate CHF 25 000 / CHF 30 000
Starting bid CHF 25 000

Hammer price CHF 38 000
Total bids 17
Buyer’s premium will not be charged

Specification

CaseOctagonal stainlees steel case, with a solid stainless steel caseback
BraceletIntegrated staineless steel bracelet
DialWhite Tapisserie with applied luminous indices, two silvered indicator rings, date indication 3 o'clock, moonphase at 6 o'clock, weekday indication at 9 o'clock
MovementRhodium-plated automatic movement with Geneva stripes, date, moonphase, & weekday indication
Cal.2124/2825
Ref.25594ST.OO.0789ST.01
Movement No.340922
Case No.C-89132 / No. 0863
D=36mm
Year1991

Condition report

Case:Good, signs of wear
Bracelet:Good, 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 - 20 sec/day
Papers:Yes

Details

A fine, exquisite and rare stainless-steel day-date and moonphase self-winding wristwatch of the famous Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet, founded in 1875. Purchase date: circa 1991. Case in stainless steel, diameter 36mm, 9mm thick, solid stainless steel caseback with Royal Oak emblem and model serial number engraved. Matt silvered dial with original ‘Tapisserie’ pattern, small (so-called ‘flat’) Audemars Piguet logo, and ‘AP’ applied symbol at 12 o’clock. Self-winding caliber 2124/2825, rotor with heavy segment in 21k gold, power reserve of up to 40 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, date sub-dial at 3 o’clock, day of the week sub-dial at 9 o’clock, moonphase at 6 o’clock. Royal Oak stainless-steel bracelet, the second-generation Royal Oak stainless steel double folding clasp.

Lot essay

Audemars Piguet introduced the 36mm reference 25594 in 1985, as an evolution of reference 25572, ‘The Owl’, with added moonphase complication. From a technical point of view, such a set of complications should be recognized as a ‘small’ complication. However, a crowded structure of the dial, with three counters, is formed, which in general creates an appearance which is certainly pleasantly harmonious, and, similar to the dial of the perpetual calendar, is more complex in terms of caliber mechanics then simpler day-date models. All in all, reference 25594 should be considered a very successful design, although it falls short of such bestsellers as the ‘Jumbo’, three hands and date self-winding references, and chronographs. The 25594 production span lasted until the mid-2000s, with the brand offering a variety of execution versions, mostly in stainless steel, steel and yellow gold, and to a lesser extent in yellow gold. Reference 25594 has been completely discontinued, unlike the 25572, which received an upgrade in the early 2010s with the 39mm reference 26330, which certainly makes the 25594 a classic collectible, an intriguing chapter in the illustrious history of the Royal Oak collection. Caliber 2124/2825 of the present example is based on a caliber 889 movement-blank supplied by Jaeger-LeCoultre, long-term partner and supplier of Audemars Piguet, with the addition of a day-date and moonphase calendar module. For subsequent 25594 generations the caliber was upgraded to the 2224/2825 version.

The present lot is a notable example of the early stainless-steel Royal Oak Day Date Moonphase reference 25594 of Mk1 Type2 dial execution, one of the most beautiful and visually-appealing versions of this reference

Our thorough research of the 25594 execution versions shows that overall, the design evolution is consistent with the evolution of the classic 36mm three hands and date self-winding reference 14790. Due to the limited information available on watch production dating and numbering, it is not possible to offer definitive dating of the generations, which clearly requires further study with the assistance of the brand. Unfortunately, secondary market operators often find it necessary to hide numbers, making research difficult. However, three main generations appear – Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3. Mk1 follows the generally recognized early generation Royal Oak dial with a small logo, small original ‘Tapisserie’ pattern, and is divided into two types, with Type 1 characterized by the hour and minute hands and indexes of a stick shape, and Type 2 with Royal Oak’s original long narrow and rounded baton hands and indexes. Ref. 25594 Mk2 corresponds to the appearance of the new logo, while leaving the small original ‘Tapisserie’ pattern. Ref. 25594 Mk3 gets an enlarged ‘Grande Tapisserie’ pattern with a new logo and Arabic numerals on the 5-minute markers of the peripheral scale. Similar to reference 14790, we have defined two types of Mk3 dials: Type 1 is characterized by the flat lettering “Automatic” and round applied indexes at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 o’clock, while in Mk3 Type 2 there is the word “Automatic” in capitals similar to the logo, and wide short baton indexes at 2, 4, 8 and 10 o’clock.

The present example belongs to the reference 25594 Mk1 Type2, one of the most elegant and aesthetic versions of the design, a real must-have for any representative Royal Oak collection.

Reasons to bid

Nowadays, due to the incredible popularity of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches, medium-sized Royal Oak references getting significant interest in this item as a collectible and as an investment. The present lot is a notable example of the early stainless-steel Royal Oak Day Date Moonphase reference 25594 of Mk1 Type2 dial execution, one of the most beautiful and visually-appealing versions of this reference, which undoubtedly makes this watch even more desirable. Therefore, the Royal Oak Day Date Moonphase Ref. 25594ST.OO.0789ST.01 Mk1 Type2 would be an excellent purchase for the collector who desires a fine, exquisite and rare small-complication medium-sized Royal Oak, produced by a world-renowned traditional watch brand, one of the undisputed leaders in the haute horlogerie watch market.