Audemars Piguet invented complicated sporting watches as a category in the 1984 ref. 5554 by integrating a perpetual calendar within the Royal Oak case, creating the pinnacle of utilitarian luxury. This is the second generation of Royal Oak Quantième Perpétuel in platinum, ref. 25820PT, but perhaps more impressively with a 'Tuscan' dial. Tuscan dials are the peak of handcraft within Audemars Piguet, a rare, painstakingly hand-hammered galvanic blue with an unrivaled depth. According to AP's records, this is 1 of just 12 examples made of the 25820PT with a Tuscan dial. Fewer than half have surfaced since 1998. It is easily amongst the most desirable Royal Oaks ever produced.
Tuscan dials are formed by hand with a burin and hammer, the result of tens of thousands of tiny taps to create this fractal plane. Achieving consistent depth is the hard part, which does require immense skill. The technique broadly the same as Tremblage. However, AP's Tuscan dials are the earliest known use on a wristwatch dial, where earlier it was used as bridge decoration for pocket watch movements. The technique has since been adopted by more daring independents such as Akrivia and Winnerl, but really began here. After hammering, the dials were given a series of galvanic baths resulting in this all-consuming blue. Under loupe, it appears as an ocean of waves crashing into one another. No one knows precisely why we call them Tuscan dials, though rumors of old AP catalogues listing them as Tuscan or Italian collectors celebrating them first appear to be the prevailing theories. This is set against platinum cabochon indices with sword subdial hands and a conically mirrored straight handset.
The ref. 25820 was the first to feature a leap year indication inside the Royal Oak case. By the time this ref. arrived, water resistance had been thoroughly revised whilst keeping a 9.3mm overall case thinness. The case and bracelet are all rendered in platinum, creating an immense presence on wrist. It is beautifully finished with arresting contrast between the beveled, brushed, and polished surfaces. 74 platinum examples were made in including all dials.
Calibre 2120/2802 is an ébauche derived from the venerable JLC 920. However, unlike modern counterparts, it is entirely hand finished. It sports world-class côtes de genève, anglage, and black polished edges. Further, the more special dial variants were given a skeletonized rotor with hand-engraved decoration. From debut, this remained the thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar calibre for decades of its production, an extremely technically accomplished and beautiful calibre.
Tuscan dial QPs have long stood as some of the most coveted Royal Oaks ever made. They are rumored to have served as inspiration for John Mayer's recent Royal Oak with AP. However, where that dial is made by stamping, this Tuscan dial represents days of effort in pure traditional watchmaking techniques. This is the authentic artifact, made by hand, in platinum. It is a level of investment in beauty we may never see again from AP, a monument to Le Brassus at their absolute best.
