Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces

New York, Jun 08, 2011

LOT 351

AUDEMARS PIGUET - TITANIUM & PINK GOLD GRAND COMPLICATION MADE TO CELEBRATE THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF AUDEMARS PIGUET SPECIFICALLY FOR THE INAUGURAL 'TIME TO GIVE' CHARITY AUCTION AND BEARING THE SIGNATURE OF ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER - PIECE UNIQUE Audemars Piguet, Genève, ?Grande Complication," case No. E 24036. Made for the 125th Anniversary of Audemars Piguet and offered as a unique piece for charity in 2000. Extremely fine and unique, large, minute-repeating, water-resistant, self-winding, titanium and 18K pink gold wristwatch with co-axial round button split-seconds chronograph, register, perpetual calendar with indication of the weeks, moon phases and an integrated titanium and 18K pink gold Audemars Piguet link bracelet with deployant clasp. Accompanied by the certificate of authenticity and instructions.

USD 250,000 - 350,000

CHF 215,000 - 300,000 / EUR 170,000 - 235,000

Sold: USD 374,500

C. Three-body, solid, polished and brushed, octagonal bezel with 8 hexagonal recessed polished stainless steel nuts screwed to 8 screws on the case back, transparent case back with Arnold Schwarzenegger?s laser engraved signature, co-axial button on the winding crown to operate the split-seconds function, sapphire crystals. D. Textured copper color with luminous white gold baton indexes, outer 1/5th seconds track with 5-minute/seconds Arabic markers, subsidiary dials for the 30-minute register and days of the week at 3, the months and leap years at 6, the seconds and date at 9, the weeks of the year at 12 concentric with the aperture for the moon phases. Luminous white gold baton hands. M. Cal. 2885, rhodium-plated, oeil de perdrix decoration, 52 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, hand-engraved gold rotor, repeating on gongs by activating slide on the band. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 45 mm. Thickness 15 mm. Approx. overall length 200 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

This watch was specially manufactured by Audemars Piguet for the company's 125th anniversary as a unique piece and originally sold as the highlight lot of the inaugural 'Time to GIve' charity auction hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Muhammad Ali, the case featuring a laser engraved signature of Arnold on the reverse. The case design is from the highly popular and successful 'Royal Oak' series, first launched in 1972, and features the case in titanium with 18k pink gold bezel and bracelet links. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Grande Complication is one of the few minute repeaters available fitted in a water-resistant case, the use of titanium creating an ideal material to resonate the sound generated by the gongs as the minute repeater chimes. The Calibre 2885 self-winding movement uses nickel silver plates and bridges due to increased hardness and resistance to oxidation, in addition this is the only AP calibre where all the movement bridges are engraved with the last 2 digits of the plate number to ensure each individual piece, hand-crafted to the movement, remain together during multiple-calibre assembly.