Live Auction 2969Important Watches
AUDEMARS PIGUET. AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPRESSIVE 18K WHITE GOLD AUTOMATIC MINUTE REPEATING PERPETUAL CALENDAR SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH WITH LEAP YEAR INDICATION AND MOON PHASES
Lot 2890

AUDEMARS PIGUET. AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPRESSIVE 18K WHITE GOLD AUTOMATIC MINUTE REPEATING PERPETUAL CALENDAR SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH WITH LEAP YEAR INDICATION AND MOON PHASES

SIGNED AUDEMARS PIGUET, GRANDE COMPLICATION AUTOMATIQUE, ROYAL OAK MODEL, NO. 17, REF. 25865BC, MOVEMENT NO. 418'113, CASE NO. E71341, CIRCA 2005

Closed28 November 2012

Price Realised

HKD 1,580,000

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AUDEMARS PIGUET. AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPRESSIVE 18K WHITE GOLD AUTOMATIC MINUTE REPEATING PERPETUAL CALENDAR SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH WITH LEAP YEAR INDICATION AND MOON PHASES
SIGNED AUDEMARS PIGUET, GRANDE COMPLICATION AUTOMATIQUE, ROYAL OAK MODEL, NO. 17, REF. 25865BC, MOVEMENT NO. 418'113, CASE NO. E71341, CIRCA 2005
Cal. 2885 automatic lever movement, 52 jewels, pierced and engraved gold rotor depicting the letters AP, minute repeating on two polished steel hammers onto two gongs, blue textured dial, applied luminous baton and dot numerals, luminous hands, outer recessed 5 minute divisions, four subsidiary dials indicating moon phases combined with numbers of the weeks, constant seconds combined with date, 30 minutes register combined with day, month combined with leap year display, oversized and heavy tonneau-shaped water-resistant-type case with octagonal bezel secured by eight screws, octagonal glazed display back secured by eight screws, repeating slide in the band, split seconds chronograph mechanism operated through two round chronograph buttons in the band and through the crown, stainless steel Audemars Piguet deployant clasp, case, dial and movement signed
44 mm. wide

Specialist note

US$170,000-250,000

"Why simplify when you can make things more complicated?" The present watch beautifully exemplifies Audemars Piguet's motto when striving for new heights in the world of complicated timepieces. The combination of minute repeating, perpetual calendar with phases of the moon, numbers of the week and a split seconds chronograph with register is doubtlessly one of the most daring achievements in modern watch engineering. Made in an exceedingly small series to celebrate Audemars Piguet's 125th anniversary in 2000, the present watch can be considered one of the most impressive contemporary collector's pieces.

The Grande Complication is one of the peak models of the firm's legendary Royal Oak series, epitomizing the luxury sports wristwatch and continuing to captivate watch collectors and aficionados with undiminished power. From its introduction in 1972 to the present day, the Royal Oak model with its unique octagonal porthole bezel and hexagonal white gold screws whose slots form a perfect circle around the bezel struck a chord with watch lovers, and sired a dynasty of timepieces ranging from basic time and date models all the way to the present model, the Royal Oak Grande Complication with more than 600 parts and numerous functions.