85 Audemars Piguet Very Elegant and Solid, Royal Oak, Automatic Chronograph Wristwatch in Steel, Grande Tapisserie Dial, With Extract From the Archives, Reference 26300ST

Estimate: € 20.000 –⁠ 40.000

The Royal Oak collection was introduced in 1972, redefining the identity of a sports watch. With groundbreaking designs, the Royal Oak became throughout the years the emblem of the Audemars Piguet manufacture as well as a true icon within the watch community. The brand launched their first Royal Oak Chronograph in 1998 via the ref. 25 860 equipped with the self-winding cal. 2385 based off the cal. 1185 by Frederic Piguet. In 2008, AP launched the reference 26 300, like the lot here offered, which replaced its predecessor. Despite its aesthetics may look very similar to the ref. 25 830, the ref. 26 300 features a case that was completely redesigned and rebuilt with a three-piece case similar construction as the case of the Offshore. In 2012 the firm launched the Royal Oak Chronograph 41 as an updated version of the here offered 39 mm. An icon of eternal style on the wrist, the present Chronograph reference 26 300 in steel features a beautiful and sporty tricolored dial in pearly white finished with the manufacturer’s signature grande tapisserie pattern matched with black and red details. The caliber is the 2385, which was the thinnest self-winding chronograph movement ever made measuring a mere 5.5 mm in thickness.