Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch is an exquisite high luxury timepiece which is intimately tied to the long and illustrious history of Audemars Piguet as a manufacturer of exceptional and highly complicated haute horlogerie. This shining example of watchmaking art combines a celebrated, iconic watch design with one of the most cherished implementations in the repertoire of elite watchmaking--the perpetual calendar. This tricky complication provides indications for day of the week, date, month, leap year, and phases of the moon. The perpetual calendar's complex mechanism of cams and levers is mechanically programmed to make automatic adjustments in accord with the various lengths of the months, including February, which is affected by the cycle of leap years.

This remarkable Audemars Piguet Royal Oak timepiece is animated by a movement which has attained a legendary status with connoisseurs and collectors. The base caliber, 2120, came to fruition in 1968, the result of a collaboration between movement Manufacturer Jaeger LeCoultre and clients Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Philippe. At the time it was introduced, this beautiful selfwinding movement (in basic form) represented the thinnest auto-wind movement with central rotor ever produced, at 2.45mm. Its unique beryllium-bronze rotor support ring, borne on ruby rollers, and an auto-wind system which disengages during handwinding to prevent unnecessary wear, are technical features that remain unique to this caliber. Equally notable is the fine craftsmanship and luxurious construction that has defined this exclusive movement from its inception--factors which place it amongst the finest mechanical movements ever produced in Switzerland. A glance through the exhibition sapphire caseback of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch reveals the extraordinary finissage applied by the Audemars Piguet master watchmakers. The plates are circular grained (perlage) while the bridge surfaces display a Cotes de Geneve pattern; thanks to the traditional anglage technique, formerly sharp edges become beautiful, rounded contours which reflect the light. A skeletonized rotor that shows off the Audemars Piguet initials, is engraved patiently by hand; this elegant rotor also features a 21k gold peripheral segment that adds to the efficiency of the bi-directional winding motion. Also of note in the fine AP 2121 caliber movement is the exclusive Gyromax balance wheel, which ticks at the uncommon frequency of 19,800 beats per hour.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch features a case which measures 39mm in diameter. The case and bracelet of this timepiece, crafted from platinum, 18K gold (white, yellow, or pink), or stainless steel display the painstaking craftsmanship that has made the Royal Oak watches legendary. The literally dozens of hand finished brushed and polished facets demand extensive labor, resulting in a creation which is a mesmerizing delight to the eye and a pleasure to the touch. The equally lovely dials of these Audemars Piguet timepieces display the famous "Grand Tapisserie" pattern, and polished gold hands and hour markers. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch joins comfortably to the wrist via a folding clasp and a security latch that is decorated with the Audemars Piguet initials.