Presented here for the first time at auction and in like new condition, the present watch is only the second example of the extremely rare and hard to find stainless steel Royal Oak perpetual calendar reference 25820ST to be offered at international auction. Furthermore, it is accompanied by the Certificate of Origin, manuals and winding box.

Produced in very small numbers in stainless steel, the model features a silvered dial with ‘Grande Tapisserie’ pattern, the applied hour markers are in white gold. According to Audemars Piguet, the moon phase is made with physical vapor deposited metal onto sapphire, it sits below the perpetual calendar dials displaying days of the week, date, months and leap years. The movement is the exceptional caliber 2120 which has the distinction of being the thinnest automatic movement in the world with a full rotor. The rotor itself is decorated with hand-engraved detailing.

Introduced in 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was designed by Gérald Genta. Featuring an octagonal screwed bezel initially inspired by a ship's porthole, it is without a doubt one of the most iconic wristwatch designs of the 20th century. Not only it is the basis of the brand’s success up to the present day, it also was the forerunner of other iconic watches like the Patek Philippe Nautilus, also being based on similar design principles by Gérald Genta.

Audemars Piguet chose the name ‘Royal Oak’, based on the story of King Charles II of England’s escape from the Roundheads - the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War - following the Battle of Worcester in 1651 when the king hid in an oak tree – the Boscobel Oak, to evade capture.

Allying dominant design and ground-breaking materials, the timepieces of the Royal Oak collection are amongst the most coveted watches ever, enjoying a continuously expanding and ongoing popularity.