Vintage & Auctions
Four Notable Audemars Piguet Pieces Up for Grabs During the Fall 2024 Geneva Watch Auctions
The upcoming Geneva watch auctions will showcase some of Audemars Piguet’s most exceptional pieces and highlight the brand’s innovation and craftsmanship. From groundbreaking tourbillons to rare minute repeaters, these four timepieces exemplify AP’s mastery of high horology.
By Henri Lee
Contributor
The much-anticipated Geneva autumn watch auction season is just around the corner. It’s the time of year when collectors and enthusiasts pour over catalogs from Phillips, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Antiquorum, marveling at the fascinating timepieces up for auction – many of which we may be seeing up for sale for the first time.
As always, Audemars Piguet features prominently, bolstered by its long history of innovations in high complications that justify its “Holy Trinity” status. Of course, far from being a “one-trick pony,” Audemars Piguet has crafted numerous groundbreaking and intriguing pieces beyond the iconic Royal Oak.
So, after reviewing the catalogs from all four auction houses this season, we’ve selected four stunning Audemars Piguet timepieces to highlight for our readers.
Phillips: The Ref. 25643 with a Tourbillon in a Thin Cushion-Shaped Case
Today, a tourbillon is almost always placed at 6 o’clock, but that wasn’t always the case. Indeed, the world’s first automatic tourbillon wristwatch, which was also the first serially produced tourbillon wristwatch, featured the tourbillon set way up in the corner of a cushion-shaped dial at 11 o’clock.
With a dial design as astounding and mysterious today as it was when it was unveiled in 1986, this groundbreaking piece, the Audemars Piguet Reference 25643, is up for sale during Phillips’ Reloaded: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999 auction.
Inspired by an Egyptian relief from around 1350 BCE of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife, Nefertiti, and their daughters, the tourbillon represents the sun, with its rays extending through the hour markers and accompanied by a half-moon at 6 o’clock. The use of mother-of-pearl further enhances the dial’s beauty and allure.
Even decades after its debut, this 28.5mm x 38mm platinum piece remains a technical marvel, measuring just 5.3mm thick. The caseback served as the backplate, allowing the jewels to be visible through it. It’s an extreme rarity, with only 22 made in platinum and even fewer made with a blue mother-of-pearl dial.
Estimate: CHF 20,000 to CHF40,00
Auction Date: November 8, 2024
Sotheby’s: The Ref. 25980, a.k.a. The First Royal Oak Concept
Designed to push boundaries rather than appeal to the masses, Royal Oak Concept models are akin to “concept cars” in the watch world. Their futuristic design and technical innovations foreshadowed the future of mechanical watches at Audemars Piguet. Fortunately, this November, Sotheby’s is offering the very first Royal Oak Concept, released in 2002, during its Important Watches: Part I auction.
Limited to only 150 pieces, the Reference 25980 features a 45mm alacrite (a cobalt-based alloy) and titanium case that is both angular and round and boasts several advanced complications.
A dynamograph at 12 o’clock displays the torque from the mainspring, while a vertical power reserve indicator to its right shows the remaining energy in six-hour increments, up to 72 hours. Together, they provide an intuitive way to monitor the “constant force” supplied to the gear train.
A pusher at 4 o’clock controls the crown’s mode – N for “neuter” (neutral), R for “remonter” (winding), or H for “heure” (time-setting) – indicated on a display at 6 o’clock. Completing the rich feature set is a tourbillon at 9 o’clock, featuring a spring-shaped bridge for added shock resistance.
Estimate: CHF 90,000 to CHF 150,00
Auction Date: November 10, 2024
Phillips: The Ref. 25881 “John Shaeffer" with a Star Wheel and Minute Repeater
An iconic Audemars Piguet movement without hands, the Star Wheel has long been a collector favorite due to its whimsical design and the charm of the wandering hour complication.
This auction season, several Star Wheels are up for bidding, but one stands out: the Reference 25881 in Phillips’ Reloaded: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999 auction catalog. Fun Fact: This special piece is nicknamed “John Shaeffer,” after an American collector closely linked to Audemars Piguet’s development of a minute repeater.
In 1927 and again in 1995, the brand released minute repeaters housed in cushion-shaped cases and named them after Mr. Schaeffer. This 33.5mm platinum-encased example from circa 1995 is one of only ten numbered pieces that combined the minute repeater with the Star Wheel movement.
Of course, the wandering hour and minute repeater are extremely difficult complications to achieve separately, so the fact that they are together already makes the Reference 25881 a true feat of high horology. Then, once you add to that the John Shaeffer connection, the rare purple dial, and Art Deco styling, it is hard to ignore that this lot features a piece of horological history.
Estimate: CHF 25,000 to CHF 50,000
Auction Date: November 8, 2024
Christie’s: The Ref. 25825 Grande & Petite Sonnerie Carillon Minute Repeater
This Reference 25825 from Christie’s Rare Watches Including Watches For ELA auction, with its intricate chiming mechanisms, truly showcases the pinnacle of high watchmaking and reaffirms Audemars Piguet’s place in the “Holy Trinity” of watchmaking.
The Grand Sonnerie function allows the wearer to choose between GS (Grande Sonnerie), where the watch strikes the hours and quarters, PS (Petite Sonnerie), which strikes only the hours, or S (Silence). Additionally, the button at 10 o’clock activates the minute repeater, announcing the hours, quarters, and minutes on demand.
The watch features a rare “carillon” mechanism with three hammers and gongs, allowing it to chime three distinct pitches rather than the standard two found in most minute repeaters. While this 39mm titanium-encased horological masterpiece has a closed caseback, a catalog photo showing the movement reveals the three hammers that offer a magnificent auditory experience.
In contrast to the intricate manual Calibre 2890, the vintage-inspired dual-tone dial is a textbook case of simplicity and elegance. This piece, number 1 in a very limited production, represents a rare and exquisite timepiece, embodying the brand’s proud horological heritage.
Estimate: CHF 120,000 to CHF 220,000
Auction Date: November 11, 2024
Final Thoughts
As over 80 Audemars Piguet timepieces will be featured across four auction houses during the autumn watch auctions in Geneva, there’s much to explore beyond the four standout lots highlighted here.
Like, for instance, Antiquorum’s Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces auction (November 9th & 10th) has in its catalog a Reference 5007 designed by Gérald Genta and powered by the manual-winding center-seconds calibre VZSSC (Est. CHF 30,000 to CHF 50,000).
That is why we think it is safe to say that Audemars Piguet enthusiasts are in for an exciting auction season, and we wish the best of luck to all bidders!