Firstlaunched in 1978, theQuantime Perpetuelby Audemars Piguet was the worlds .This example captures much of the appeal of the earliest pieces, with its classic "Audemars Piguet" signature, recessed subdials and seemingly unpolished case. It also comes with an impressive array of accompanying materials, including a setting pin, hangtag and even a newspaper advertisement for the watch.

The Quantime Perptuel

In the late 70s, complicated wristwatches were exceedingly rare. The Quartz Crisis had decimated the watchmaking industry, with the number of watchmakers in Switzerland having dropped from 1,600 to 600.Against all odds, three watchmakers at Audemars Piguet decided to develop the worlds thinnest automatic perpetual calendar movement. The project was , with the manufactures upper management completely unaware of what was going on. The watchmakers worked in their free time, often meeting at night to discuss their work.

In 1977, they surprised George Golay, the CEO of Audemars Piguet at the time, with the finished calibre. A risk taker whod already released the Royal Oak a few years prior, Golay was confident that the manufacture could successfully commercialise the automatic perpetual calendar. When it was launched in 1978, the Quantime Perpetuelwas the worlds thinnest automatic perpetual calendar. To put things in perspective, in 1984, only 1,066 perpetual calendars were produced in Switzerland. Of those, Audemars Piguet made 675.

Though the Royal Oak often gets credit for helping Audemars Piguet survive in the wake of the Quartz Crisis, evidence suggests the Quantime Perpetuel played a much greater role. According to the manufacture, 7,219 perpetual calendars were made over a fifteen year period, including some which were integrated into . A canvas to experiment with , 70 different models were produced, with around 200 variations documented.

A ClassicDesign

The lines of the Quantime Perpetuel were pennedby Jacqueline Dimier, whois considered by some as the protg of the legendary. This reference25657 was produced between 1982 and 1993, making it amongst the earliest of theQuantime Perpetuelmodels.During that period, 362 examples weremade inrosegold, versus the 1,309 pieces produced in yellow gold.

The perpetual calendar indications are laid out in an intuitive manner. The date and day are shown at three and nine oclock respectively, with the months displayed at twelve oclock. A moonphase indication is placed at six oclock, with graduations for the moon position just above. The Audemars Piguet font is flat and restrained, imbuing this piece with a certain vintage appeal. Later versions of the same reference are known to have the more contemporary font, giving them a distinctively more modern appearance.

All of the subdials are recessed, which gives a satisfying level of depth to the overall design and creates some interesting effects when it interacts with the light.This is another subtle feature which is lost in subsequent iterations.Evidence suggests that the dial was manufactured byStern Crations, the storiedmanufacturer which also produced dials for theand the, among others.Therose gold stick hands provide excellent legibility against the white background.

At 36mm in diameter and less than 8mm thick, this 25657ORsits comfortably on the wrist. On the reverse of the rose gold case, the watch features circular graining, along with finely-engraved markings. The hallmarks, which can be found on the left hand side of the case, are sharp and deep, suggesting that this example may have never been polished.

The Movement

This Quantime Perpetuel Automatique is powered by the Caliber 2120/2, derived from Jaeger-LeCoultres legendary . The Caliber 2120 was an initial project of Jaeger LeCoultre in 1967, funded and contributed by Audemars Piguet, and famous for its adoption by Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.

The ultra-thin automatic 2120/2 calibre features 38 working jewels, a Gyromax balance and four ruby wheels to support the full-diameter rotor, which runs on a beryllium rail for stability. The rotor is decorated with Geneva stripes and edged with 21-carat gold, to increase the oscillating mass. The movement remains the thinnest full-rotor self-winding movement in the world, considered by many as one of the most technically refined wrist-watch movements ever made.

The Set

This Quantime Perpetuel 25657ORis accompanied by an impressive array of paperwork. It comes with its outer box, inner leather box, hangtag, setting pin, Quantime Perpetuel manual, miniature Audemars Piguet calendars and Certificate of Origin and Warranty(stamped by Sunny Watch and Jewellery Co. in Hong Kong). The original owner even kept a newspaper cutout with an Audemars Piguet advertisement for this exact watch, displaying the original retail price of $33,500.

The watch is fitted to one of our straps and also accompanied by its originalrose gold tang buckle.

If sold within the United Kingdom, this Audemars Piguet, QuantimePerpetuel Automatique25657ORwill be subject to 20% VAT. Viewings are currently suspended for the time being.

Closer look