This special watch from Audemars Piguet comes complete with inner and outer boxes and papers. Model number 25897ST.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From the supplied paperwork, consisting of the instructions and the Certificate of Origin and Guarantee, we can accurately date this watch to being sold in August 2007.
CONDITION
Audemars Piguet (AP) are one third of the ‘Trinity’, alongside Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe, that are considered the very best in the business.
AP may be better associated with their Royal Oak range, first launched in 1972 and still in production today. But having started in 1875 and remaining one of the few independent companies, annual production is now around 30,000 watches. Each made by hand to the very highest standards. By comparison, Rolex make around one million watches a year, and Patek Philippe around 50,000.
The Millenary range was introduced in 1996, and is still being produced today. We have a price list from May 2016 showing the least expensive Millenary, a steel time only watch on a leather strap in steel, would cost you 22,000 CHF (£18,324 / US$ 22,416 / €20,325 / AUS$ 29,240 at time of press). Sadly there is no chronograph in the current range to allow a direct comparison with this watch, but the range is topped by a white gold tourbillon generously covered in diamonds for 592,000 CHF (!)
This particular example has been worn, so the stainless steel shows just the lightest of surface scratches. The sapphire glass, with magnifier for the date set into the dial and not sticking out, is perfect. The dial and the hands are A1, and the lume is rather good. All functions work perfectly, which brings us on to the movement.
The calibre 2226/2840 starts of as an ebauche (movement base) from Jaeger Le-Coultre, and then AP does its thing. The end result is hidden behind the case back, but the 54 jewel automatic movement is a thing of beauty that our photographs do not do justice to. Every part is highly finished, and this level of detail is what separates the great from the merely exceptional.
On the downside the outer box has damage, and the wooden box also has a knock or two. This watch has conventional lugs, so can be worn with a leather strap easily – unlike the AP Royal Oak. We have taken a few photos with various straps to show how different the watch can look when off the very impressive original bracelet, which on its own is worth several thousand pounds.
Please see the HD video below for more detail.
SIZE
Width with crown 44.4 mm
Width without crown 40.5 mm
Between lugs 20 mm
Lug to lug length 43.7 mm
Bracelet maximum length 201 mm
Thickness 11.0 mm
All sizes are approximate
PRICE
£ SOLD including 6 months guarantee and free delivery. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information or Contact Us
