Passions Watch Exchange

About This Watch

Pre-owned. Comes with orig. wooden box+outer box only. No papers.

Passions is delighted to offer you this an important complications watch by Audemars Piguet. 

Introduced in 1991, this neo-classic Ref.25718BA distinguished itself as the world's first automatic tourbillon wrist watch with a date counter and power reserve indicator. 

This watch was a development from the 1986 Ref.25643 with the same movement Cal.2870 that features a bumper automatic rotor to reduce thickness. The tourbillon cage is made of titanium to reduce weight and size increased by 30% to improve robustness to become the Cal.2875 that we have here.

This watch was produced in very limited numbers over the next few years, each had a hand engraved serial number in cursive writing and we have never seen one in three digits from those that appeared in auctions. This model was replaced by a new dial in the Jules Audemars case and appeared on a Royal Oak which remains the only one without a crown.

The solid gold case has been lightly polished and shows some wear, the glass is perfect and the original black alligator strap remains in superb condition. The movement has a power reserve of slightly over 50hrs while the dial is marked for 60, so the indicator will never point at the full mark and this is corrected on the later series.

A highly collectible timepiece that's priced sensibly. What we like about this specimen are the hallmarks of a hand-made watch by an independent watch maker vs the later versions that lost that exclusivity.

An article by SJX can be read here.