Rockstar: Audemars Piguet 25554BA Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, designed by the legendary Gerald Genta, is a true icon. Launched in 1972 amidst the frenzy for inexpensive quartz watches, at a price point that surpassed many precious metal dress watches at the time, it made a bold statement of craftsmanship and quality that transcended case material.

After the debut of the original Royal Oak 5402 in 1972, AP spent 12 years in development to create a perpetual calendar model without sacrificing thinness. When the brand presented the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, it coupled the distinctive design language of the Royal Oak with one of the best quantième perpétuel movements on the market, demonstrating its substantial high horology chops in one of its sportiest models. Today, the Royal Oak Perpetual is one of the most popular watches in the brand’s collections.

This reference 25554BA is the very first model of Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, one of roughly 223 examples made in yellow gold. This watch is not only complicated, but supremely wearable. The brilliant 39mm case measures a razor thin 7.45mm in thickness, which is incredibly slim for a self-winding perpetual calendar. While we may take the proliferation of high complications in sporty models for granted to today, a “formal” complication like a perpetual calendar in a sports watch was a novel concept when this model was introduced, and AP was pushing the design envelope with this striking and enigmatic piece.

This particular piece features the collectible block signature typeface, in which the height of the letters in "Audemars Piguet" are the same, and it predates the leap year indication on the brand’s perpetual calendar models, making it even more collectible for AP aficionados. It also comes with an extract from Audemars Piguet's archives that shows its original date of sale in 1985.

With a beautiful monochromatic gold dial to match the yellow gold case, this watch wears its significance in all its weight and glamorous gilt glory. It captures an inflection point in complicated watchmaking history, making this iconic reference a sort of living testimony to Audemars Piguet’s significance to the watch industry.