Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual 25657OR

$29,900

A seminal reference released during the height of the Quartz Crisis, Audemars Piguet broke the mould with the world’s thinnest automatic calendar. Housed in a rose gold case, this variant had a total production number of 362 pieces.

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This is the Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual 25661OR. More associated with sports watches under its Royal Oak line in modern times, it’s worth noting that the brand actually started with the manufacturing of complicated timepieces and has a strong lineage in complications. Its first grand complication, a pocket watch, was released back in 1899. This was followed by the thinnest calibre for a pocket watch in the early 1900s, the first skeletonized pocket watch and subsequently the world’s thinnest wristwatch. Highly significant to the history of horology, the brand was and still is a key contributor to the world of complicated timepieces.

This particular Quantieme Perpetual is a highly important reference not just for a brand but for horology as a whole. In the 1970s, the Swiss watch industry was under siege by the advent of battery-powered quartz watches, marking a defining period known as the Quartz Crisis. It was during this period that Audemars Piguet released what is now regarded as a seminal piece - the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar. In fact, this was conceived at a time when it was likely that no one else was thinking about producing a complicated mechanical wristwatch, making this series by Audemars Piguet among the impressive inventions of its time.

Timelessly proportioned in a ultra-thin 36mm case, the 25657OR is powered by the Cal. 2120/2800 - a calendar module added to the movement that powered its Royal Oak. Especially noteworthy is the movement’s thickness of only 3.95mm - a feat in itself during that period of watchmaking. Of the 1,821 pieces produced within this reference, 362 pieces were made in rose gold. With a dial laid out in a highly legible manner, the Quantieme Perpetual is highly informative, featuring the day, date, month and moonphase indicator with sunken subdials that add a layer of depth to the aesthetic.

A highly fascinating reference that has remained overlooked until the renaissance of neo-vintage pieces, the Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual is truly one of historical importance.