Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Day-Date 25572BA "Owl" cream dial, 1980s
- Maker / attribution
- Audemars Piguet (maker)
- Date
- 1980s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 36 mm
- Stock no.
- W-2152
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2152)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Day-Date 25572BA "Owl" cream dial (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-2152), this is a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet, made in Switzerland, dated 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Bulang & Sons
The golden owl… We really love this cool looking two register Royal Oak, nicknamed The Owl…it really does look like a big-eyed owl’s face on your wrist…only cooler! The 36mm yellow gold case is in really beautiful condition and actually wears a lot bigger on the wrist than its size would suggest, in large part thanks to the classic Royal Oak integrated bracelet that would fit a wrist size of up to 18cm. The early version of the cream petit tapisserie dial is really beautiful and balanced with days (in English) on the left and date on the right in yellow gold-rimmed sub dials and small AUDEMARS PIGUET text. There is a very minor dip in the dial at 8, however it is not visible when wearing the watch and can only be seen in a certain angle. The bracelet is in fantastic condition with all the links remaining tight. The automatic movement has been fully checked and regulated by our watchmaker. We know you guys like us to share unusual watches with a twist and this complicated Royal Oak fits the bill! Specifications: - Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Day Date - Reference 25572BA - Dating to the 1980s - Serial 2xx on the case back - 36mm yellow gold case - Cream petit tapisserie dial with day and date indicators - Yellow gold integrated bracelet - Fully checked by our watchmaker - Includes a handmade leather watch pouch
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Calendar, moon-phase and perpetual calendar watches
Calendar complications range from a simple date to the perpetual calendar, which automatically allows for months of different lengths and leap years until 2100. Pocket watches with perpetual calendars were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; Patek Philippe made the first perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925, and series production followed in 1941. The annual calendar (Patek Philippe, 1996) needs correction only once a year.
Moon-phase displays use a disc with two moons and 59 teeth advanced daily, approximating the 29.5-day lunation; more precise trains reduce the error to one day in over a century.
What to look for
- Apertures or subsidiary dials for day, date, month and leap year.
- Moon disc under a 'bosom' shaped aperture.
- Recessed correctors on the case band for setting the calendar.
Dating clues
- Triple-date wristwatches: popular c. 1940–1955.
- Perpetual calendar wristwatches: from 1925 (unique) and 1941 (series).
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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