Audemars Piguet Tantalum Royal Oak Dual Time, ref. 25730TT, 2002

Dealer description — Grey & Patina

Description : Earliest iterations of the ‘Dual-Time’ came with AP at twelve and ‘all-capital’ signature below, its smooth sub-faces recessed into a small hobnail dial; found at two is the date wheel, with 31 / 1 compacted in a single color; the Dual-Time function sits at six, the secondary hours on an outer ring; last, a power-reserve meter at nine, numerated in intervals of twelve hours ending on 48. Changes between these details varies greatly, often coinciding with another, making for a complicated complication. Tantalum weighs and wears near as much as gold, and, while resembling an aged-blue steel, is much more stubborn to manufacture and machine. Audemars, elevating stainless steel into precious metal territory, was challenged to make something more robust and so sought ways to forge the rarer 73rd element. Early units broke the mills, but the strain resulted in a unique stronger-than-steel case and bracelet utilized by no other manufacturer – further augmenting Audemars Piguet as the industry leader in metalworks. Our example features a variegation that occurred in an extremely narrow window right before the use of an in-house Audemars ‘Grand Tapisserie’ dial and an integrated forth ‘Day-Night’ sub-dial (it’s with this addition the Dual-Time became a true GMT). The 25730 was AP’s first attempt at a GMT, and, after a twenty trial, their last. This neo-vintage timepiece with Patek-family-made dial, JLC movement, and Audemars metal-work is a tour of Switzerland’s finest manufacturing capabilities, a rarity and aberrant within the venerated watch maker’s history. This 25730 seen today is adorned with a rare dial made just before a time when the larger hobnail designs of today were integrated, and on a reference within the Audemars Piguet catalogue when Tantalum cases almost exclusively utilized Tantalum faces. The original white color of the dial has become a soft cream, and the case remains pristine and unpolished. Case : Unpolished Tantalum, chamfered bezel edges transition evenly into the case surround Dial : Stern Creation’s ‘Petite Tapisserie’ brass dial, ‘Alternating Caps’ signature and AP at twelve, ‘Missing 48’ power reserve meter, baton style hands and markers, whose original white color has churned into a muted cream. Bracelet : Integrated AP H-link, unpolished, taper between links remains even with no steps felt between