A stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak automatic wristwatch. This is an unusual ladies version of Gerald Genta's sporting watch icon. This might well be the most interesting yet. This dial is a classic black colour. This example, in all steel, is a real "safe queen" example that everyone looks in a size that is no longer offered in their current line-up.
The dial on this watch is the crowning glory and most desirable feature of an already cool watch! It is the ‘Petite Tapisserie' found on the first Royal Oak Jumbos, and on mostly all Royal Oaks from the ‘80s and ‘90s, and also on the first Royal Oak Offshore models bearing reference 25721. The squares are extremely small and the pattern is tight compared to the later executions. They are laborious to make with the brass dials being engraved by a burin, a precision metalwork chisel, that reproduces the motif on a disc attached to the machine, like a pantograph. A pointer rotates across the disc from the periphery to the center. The system is combined with a tool that forms the little lozenges between the pyramidal squares and takes between 20 and 50 minutes, depending on the dial's diameter. It's a delicate operation. A mere skip is all it takes to damage the piece as the slightest impact is as visible as dust on a mirror. For this technique to be applied to these smallest of case sizes is quite remarkable.
This model is a non-date version keeping the overall appearance very clean indeed. The AP logo is cut from white gold and pinned to the dial at the twelve o’clock position, along with the Tritium filled hour markers. These dials are very complicated and exceptionally expensive to create.
The watch is powered by the AP quartz movement. meaning maintanence is very simple with the watch, with no date to worry about. After celebrating its 50th birthday last year, the Royal Oak, along with the Patek Philippe Nautilus, both designed by Gérald Genta, are now the most iconic ‘sports’ watches ever designed.
This is an example from the 1990's. This has the later classic deployant buckle, which opens from the middle and has the folding safety catch. The condition is superb throughout, unpolished, and razor sharp which is how these watches must be maintained. Polishing them ruins all the original, intricate case angles. The dial is perfect and all of the original luminous material is present in the white gold hour markers and hands.
This is a great watch to wear. Rare in itself, very few examples being produced by AP. Although a smaller size, it wear very well, and is perfect for those looking for a smaller take on the sporting icon. This example dates to circa 1990'. It does not come with the box or original paper work.
