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Lot Essay
On 5 April 1984, the opening day of the Basel Fair, Audemars Piguet presented the very first Royal Oak fitted with a perpetual calendar, model 5554, soon renamed reference 25554. The development of the model took longer than initially anticipated, largely because the manufacture had set itself the ambitious challenge of integrating the calibre 2120⁄2800, derived from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s legendary ultra-thin calibre 920, into the same extra-thin case architecture as the original Royal Oak reference 5402.
To achieve this feat, subtle yet highly sophisticated modifications were introduced: the bezel was slightly raised, the sapphire crystal reduced in thickness, and three discreet calendar correctors integrated into the case. The result was extraordinary: reference 25554 measured only 7.5 mm thick, a mere 0.4 mm thicker than the original Royal Oak.
Remarkably, the first and only example of reference 25554 delivered during its inaugural year was cased in yellow gold and carried the exceptionally low case number 17. In 1985, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar officially entered the Audemars Piguet catalogue exclusively in yellow gold, with 101 examples delivered that year. Yellow gold ultimately became the most important variant of reference 25554 in terms of production, with a total of 223 examples delivered, compared to only 46 in stainless steel and a unique example in platinum.
The champagne dial displays the perpetual calendar indications with exceptional clarity and balance. Characteristically for early Audemars Piguet perpetual calendars, the display does not incorporate a leap-year indication on the dial. The present timepiece is made even more attractive by the presence of diamond-set hour markers, a configuration seldom encountered on the reference and lending an additional level of refinement to the design. Further enhancing its appeal, the caseback bears French import hallmarks in the form of the double 'owl', indicating that the present timepiece was originally destined for the French market.
To achieve this feat, subtle yet highly sophisticated modifications were introduced: the bezel was slightly raised, the sapphire crystal reduced in thickness, and three discreet calendar correctors integrated into the case. The result was extraordinary: reference 25554 measured only 7.5 mm thick, a mere 0.4 mm thicker than the original Royal Oak.
Remarkably, the first and only example of reference 25554 delivered during its inaugural year was cased in yellow gold and carried the exceptionally low case number 17. In 1985, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar officially entered the Audemars Piguet catalogue exclusively in yellow gold, with 101 examples delivered that year. Yellow gold ultimately became the most important variant of reference 25554 in terms of production, with a total of 223 examples delivered, compared to only 46 in stainless steel and a unique example in platinum.
The champagne dial displays the perpetual calendar indications with exceptional clarity and balance. Characteristically for early Audemars Piguet perpetual calendars, the display does not incorporate a leap-year indication on the dial. The present timepiece is made even more attractive by the presence of diamond-set hour markers, a configuration seldom encountered on the reference and lending an additional level of refinement to the design. Further enhancing its appeal, the caseback bears French import hallmarks in the form of the double 'owl', indicating that the present timepiece was originally destined for the French market.