Description
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is the watch that changed the course of the industry: in 1972 Gérald Genta first lent a sports watch the nobility of haute horlogerie, and the octagonal bezel on its eight screws became one of the most recognisable silhouettes in the world. This example is the complicated Royal Oak Day-Date Moon Phase, reference 25594BA, executed entirely in 18 ct yellow gold — both the 36 mm case and the celebrated integrated bracelet.
For the distinctive layout of its dial — day and date indicators to either side and a moon-phase aperture below — collectors nicknamed this model “The Owl”. The textured gold-toned Tapisserie dial echoes the gold of case, markers and hands, while the pointer day-date display together with the moon phase lends the strict geometry of the Royal Oak an unexpected poetry. Beneath the sapphire crystal, every detail is held to the house’s signature aesthetic.
The watch is driven by the automatic calibre 2124/2825 — a movement built on the ultra-thin 2124 with an added module for the indicators and moon phase. The 25594BA was made in the smallest of numbers: in 1995, the year of this example, only 93 pieces were produced. A rare golden complication of the Royal Oak, coveted by the true collector.
