ThisQuantime Perpetuelreference 25654 represents an effort by Audemars Piguet to combine one of their most innovative movements and disruptive designs from the 20th century. In combination, their ultra-thin, automatic perpetual calendar and angular Royal Oak helped the manufacture weather the aftermath of the Quartz Crisis, making this combination as striking as it is historically important.

A combination of icons

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 carried out in secret, 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 Perpetuel was the worlds thinnest automatic perpetual calendar.

A few years later, the manufacture chose to combine this innovative movement with their iconic Royal Oak cases. In 1983, they released the reference 5554, which is also designated as the reference 25554. This reference 25654 was introduced in a subsequent iteration of the concept, featuring the same parred back aesthetic as the original design. Only 800 examples of the reference 25654were produced between 1983 and 1998, limited to just 422 in yellow gold.

At the time, the combination of the sporty,Royal Oakcase and complicated perpetual calendar movement was an unusual, forward-thinking approach by the brand, combining luxury with one of its most utilitarian pieces.In recent years, theRoyal Oak Quantime Perptuelhas since been the canvas on whichAudemars Piguethave experimented and redefined its perpetual calendars, introducing various unique interpretations. This reference 25654represents one of the first steps in this ongoing legacy.

The Design

This gold,Ref. 25654BAexample features a lightly-textured golden dial with black indicators and blued subsidiary hands.The layout of the dial includes all the traditional indications of a perpetual calendar: day, date, astronomical moon (with graduation for moon age), and month. The piece also features original gold stick hands, a characteristic rarely foundinRoyal Oakwatches.The sub-dials are slightly recessed, giving the dial greater depth and texture.Additionally, the dial displays the"Audemars Piguet" signature insmall lettering, which is only found on the earlier examples of the 25654 reference, before the brand adopted its modern signature style.

The gold case and bracelet are excellently finished, with chamfered, beveled and polished edges - strikingthe perfect balance between utilitarian function and elegant design. The polished screws, bezel and case edges provide a distinct contrast with the brushed surface of the case and bracelet. The watch possesses its original unsigned crown, white gold clasp and clasp coverwith the correct "AP" signature.

At 39mm in diameter, and only 9.3mm thick, theRoyal Oak Quantime Perptuelcase is a beautiful twist of perspectives and size. On the reverse, the outer-case back correctly displays the unique serial number (C-55XXX), along with its sequential case number (5XX). The reference 25654BAis housed in a 39mm case, like the original 5402'"Jumbo" from 1972.

The Movement

This Quantime Perpetuel Automatique is powered by the Caliber 2120/2800, 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.

Viewings are currently suspended for the time being.

Closer look