Audemars PiguetRoyal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph

First unveiled by Audemars Piguet in the 1970s and designed by Gerald Genta, the Royal Oak has virtually become a cultural icon due to its distinctive features and its pioneering role for high-end luxury sports watches.

This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph (25977BAOO1205BA02) manual-wind watch features a 44mm 18k yellow gold case surrounding a silver-white grand tapiserrie dial on an 18k yellow gold bracelet with folding buckle. Functions include hours, minutes, small-seconds, chronograph and a tourbillon, seen at the 6 o’clock position.

The yellow gold case and bracelet are excellently finished, with angular, bevelled and polished edges - polished screws, bezel, and case edges contrast with the brushed surface of the case and bracelet. The exhibition case back allows the beautifully finished movement to be observed.

At 44mm the Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph is one of the largest non-Offshore Royal Oak models available. It is powered by the hand-wound calibre 2889 movement, and its pairing of a tourbillon with a column-wheel chronograph is a signature AP combination.

The tourbillon compensates for differences in the watch’s beat rate caused by its movement through different positions during everyday wear. The principle is to mount the balance and escapement in a rotating cage around their common axis, which goes through all positions to average out the errors caused by the effect of gravity on the watch’s timekeeping.

The lot is accompanied by an Audemars Piguet presentation box and a certificate of authenticity from a retailer. The watch shows light signs of wear, and its condition is within the bounds of the seller’s A grading.

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