Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Hong - Kong, Oct 09, 2010

LOT 327

Audemars Piguet Cabinet Watch No. 5 Audemars Piguet, Genève, "Millenary Perpetual Calendar with Deadbeat Seconds, Power-Reserve Indication", movement No. 678226, case No. F 93916, Ref. 26066PT. Made in a limited edition of only 20 pieces circa 2006, the fifth watch in the ?Tradition of Excellence? cabinet series. Sold on April 8, 2008. Extremely fine and rare, large, water-resistant, platinum wristwatch with perpetual calendar, leap-year indication, deadbeat seconds, dual barrels, new Audemars Piguet escapement with visible balance with dual opposing balance springs, 7-day power-reserve indication and a platinum Audemars Piguet deployant clasp. Accompanied by the fitted wooden box, Certificate of Origin and instruction book.

HKD 2,500,000 - 3,200,000

USD 320,000 - 420,000 / EUR 250,000 - 320,000

Sold: HKD 2,780,000

C. Three-body, massive, oval, polished and brushed, stepped bezel and lugs, tonneau-shaped button at 2 for advancing the date hand, months and days of the week correctors in the band, transparent back with 7 screws, sapphire crystals. D. 18K white gold, offset, brushed with applied blued radial Arabic numerals, outer minute divisions, outermost red date numerals on a frosted reserve, aperture for the leap-year between 12 and 1, apertures for the months and days of the week above and below the dial, subsidiary dials for the deadbeat seconds and the power-reserve indication, visible escapement. Blued skeleton hands. M. Cal. 2899, hand-finished, rhodium plated with fausses cotes decoration, 42 jewels, dual barrels, Audemars Piguet lubrication-free single-impulse escapement under a polished steel bridge, variable inertia balance with a frequency of 21,600 vph, free-sprung dual opposing flat balance springs mounted one above the other, shock absorber. Dial and movement signed. Dim. 42 x 47 mm. Thickness 15.81 mm.


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Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1

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Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

This watch, the fifth in the Cabinet Series, incorporates two significant new features. The new Audemars Piguet escapement is inspired by the Robin escapement and has direct single impulse. The major advantage is that it requires no lubrication, the impulse is transmitted directly from the escapement to the balance eliminating the need for a pallet fork, it has excellent shock resistance. The dual balance spring is another innovation, the balance springs mounted one above the other eliminate defects linked to the vertical watch position,the same effect as a tourbillon. The deadbeat seconds is very unusual in a wristwatch, especially when miniaturized in this way.
Cabinet Series This lot is the fifth edition in Audemars Piguet?s ?Tradition d?Excellence? or ?Cabinet Series?. Introduced in 1999, the ?Cabinet Series? will comprise 8 editions of highly complicated watches, each reference made in only 20 platinum examples. The series focuses on the different aspects of ?Haute Horlogerie?. The name ?Cabinet Series? is derived from the impressive, specially made wooden cabinet with compartments that is included with the series and houses all 8 of these exceptional horological works of art.
List of the Cabinet Series 1999-2006: - Jules Audemars Cabinet 1, minute repeater, tourbillon and split-seconds chronograph in a limited edition of 20 pieces in platinum. - Jules Audemars Cabinet 2, made in a limited edition of 20 examples in in platinum (see lot 302). - Edward Piguet Cabinet 3, tourbillon mechanism, chronograph with 70 hours power reserve display, rectangular, in a limited edition of 20 examples in platinum. - Royal Oak Cabinet 4, tourbillon, chronograph with double ten-day power reserve indication in a limited edition of 20 examples in platinum. - Millenary Cabinet 5, (the present lot) perpetual calendar with deadbeat seconds and power reserve indication in a limited edition of 20 examples in platinum.