Audemars Piguet Quantième Perpétuel 25661BA
SoldAudemars Piguet Quantième Perpétuel 25661BA
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Audemars Piguet’s Quantième Perpétuel Automatique line proves that it is still possible to get into ultra-high end watchmaking at a relatively affordable price point.
When we think of Audemars Piguet nowadays, the first thing we think about is the Royal Oak. But that obscures AP’s distinguished history of producing beautifully finished and highly complicated watches.
Audemars Piguet’s introduction of the ‘Quantième Perpétuel Automatique’ line of ultra-thin perpetual calendar wristwatches with an automatic movement in 1978 has been one the most significant innovations in watchmaking in the last 50 years.
This 25661BA is executed in a slim 18k yellow gold case, measuring a classic 36 mm. The case features a lovely stepped bezel, elegant downturned lugs, and a small crown. The ref. 25661 was produced almost in parallel with the ref. 25657 Quantième Perpetuel, with the difference being the addition of a sapphire crystal see-through case back on the former. While both references were available simultaneously, the ref. 25661 is much rarer with a total production run of just 342 pieces in different materials in the period 1985-1994.
The reference 25661 was made with a number of different dials. This white execution is the most understated of the bunch and features a lovely grainy finish together with elegant 18k yellow gold stick indices matching the thin handset. We love this particular dial for the deeply recessed sub-registers that display the day, date, month, and phase of the moon.
The Quantième Perpétuel line is powered by Audemars Piguet’s caliber 2120/2800 automatic movement, which is derived from Jaeger LeCoultre’s legendary ultra-thin caliber 920 base movement. This base movement was used, among others, in AP’s Royal Oak, Patek’s Nautilus, and Vacheron Constantin’s 222. For the QP line, Audemars Piguet reworked the caliber 920 to include a perpetual calendar complication as well as a 21k gold rotor.
This 25661BA dates back to 1993 and has just returned from a full service at our trusted Audemars Piguet service center, as attested to by the accompanying service papers. The watch comes on a navy alligator leather strap with an 18k yellow gold Audemars Piguet ardillon buckle. Additionally, the watch comes with an extract from the Audemars Piguet archives.
Introduction
Audemars Piguet is among the holy trinity Swiss maisons d’horlogerie alongside Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Audemars Piguet has a storied history of producing high-complication watches. It all started in 1875, when Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet founded the company in the heart of the Vallée de Joux, Le Brassus, Switzerland. This pure, rough and wild landscape, with deep, dark forests, ice-cold waters and the omnipresence of rocks and hills, provided inspiration and raw materials for the Swiss watch manufacture to develop the finest watches. Since its inception, Audemars Piguet has specialized in rare, valuable and highly-complicated watches like perpetual calendars, chronographs and chiming watches. Nowadays, the emphasis of Audemars Piguet lies on the iconic Royal Oak line.
Specifications
- SKU 6976
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Reference
25661
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