lot 62

Audemars Piguet

Royal Oak Offshore

This watch was featured at the "Timed Pieces" auction

Starting bid CHF 15 000
Hammer price CHF 33 000
Buy now price CHF 40 000
Total bids 24

Specification

CaseOctagonal rose gold case 750/1000, with a solid rose gold caseback, crown at 3 o'clock
StrapBlack rubber strap, with original rose gold folding clasp
DialAnthracite-grey Tapisserie dial with black sub-dials, Arabic lumed numerals, Tachymeter scale around the parimiter, 60 seconds, 30 minutes & 12 hour counter, small seconds at 12 o'clock, date with loupe at 3 o'clock, signed: Audemars Piguet
MovementRhodium-plated automatic movement, with Geneva stripes, chronograph & date function
Cal.2326
Ref.25940OK.OO.D002CA.01.A
Case No.G42630 / No.4856
D=42mm

Condition report

Case:Very good, small signs of wear
Strap:Very good, small signs of wear
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:All functions working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 310°
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx -3 sec/day
Box:Yes
Papers:Yes

Details

A fine and charismatic complicated wristwatch of the famous Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet, founded in 1875. Estimated production period: 2008 to 2010. Case in 18k rose gold, diameter 42mm, 14.5mm thick, black rubber-clad bezel, rubber-clad screw-locked crown and chronograph pushpieces. Grey dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, large luminous Arabic numerals, inclined grey peripheral ring with 1/5-second scale with tachymeter markings, black sunken counters with fine circular grooves, rose gold skeleton and luminous hour and minute hands, painted white hands for chronograph counters and small seconds hand, applied rose gold AP logo at 3 o’clock, and magnifying glass over date window. Solid rose gold caseback with engraved “AP”, “Royal Oak Offshore” and “Automatic” inscriptions, serial model and case numbers. Self-winding caliber 2326/2840, rotor with an inertial segment in 21k yellow gold, power reserve of up to 38 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, small seconds hand at 12 o’clock, chronograph with central seconds hand, 30-minute and 12-hour counters, and the date at 3 o’clock. Audemars Piguet black rubber strap, Audemars Piguet “AP” 18k rose gold folding clasp. 

Lot essay

The Royal Oak Offshore of Audemars Piguet is a very attractive and collectible series. Since the launch of the collection in 1993, a huge variety of references, designs, limited editions and special editions have appeared. However, there are several basic models, without which any collection of Royal Oak Offshore should be perceived as incomplete. Of course, this includes the original reference 25271 in stainless steel with a blue dial, and we believe it also includes the “Rubber Clad” Ref. 25940OK in rose gold, grey and black dial, and rubber-trimmed bezel, crown and chronograph pushers, as the present lot. 

This reference 25940OK.OO.D002CA.01 was produced from 2002 until 2011 and comes in a robust 42mm solid 18k rose gold case, with the Offshore’s iconic rubber octagonal “porthole” bezel with eight white gold screws. According to our estimates, the total release of this reference was about 5000 pieces, which gives the collector the opportunity to think carefully about the choice of a suitable piece in good condition. The present lot belongs to the second generation of this reference, with a third-generation automatic caliber 2326/2840, produced from 2005–2006. 

The Royal Oak Offshore “Rubber Clad” with its heavy solid rose gold case looks incredibly impressive due to its contrasting design, with a grey and black dial and a black rubber clad bezel

It is worth remembering that the ROO Ref. 25271 of the first 200-piece batch was equipped with a modular caliber 2126/2840 with a chronograph function, a first-generation caliber of ROO. The automatic movement was based on a movement-blank supplied by Jaeger-LeCoultre (caliber 889) modified to 21,600 vph, while the chronograph module 2840 is based on a kit from the Dubois Dépraz factory. Both are long-term partners and suppliers of Audemars Piguet. Later, until 2005, the ROO was equipped with a second-generation movement – caliber 2226/2840, which used the updated version of a Jaeger-LeCoultre automatic caliber 889/2 (28,800 vph), while in 2005 and early 2006 Audemars Piguet carried out further modernization, switching to the caliber 2326/2840 with the modernized basic Jaeger-LeCoultre 899. This is the third-generation ROO chronograph movement, produced until 2014, when the brand made the transition to the in-house basic caliber 3126 movement. 

Reasons to bid

The Royal Oak Offshore “Rubber Clad” Ref. 25940OK.OO.D002CA.01 would definitely be an excellent purchase for the collector who desires an attractive, rare and complicated mechanical wristwatch from a world-renowned traditional watch brand, one of the undisputed leaders in the haute horlogerie watch market. The present lot is remarkable as an example of a significant step in the development of the Royal Oak Offshore collection, and is therefore a must-have for any Offshore watches collection. At the same time, the Royal Oak Offshore “Rubber Clad” with its heavy solid rose gold case looks incredibly impressive due to its contrasting design, with a grey and black dial, black rubber clad bezel, black rubber strap, fine “AP” rose gold folding clasp, and automatic chronograph caliber, making the present lot a highly desirable daily wearer.