Offered here is a highly rare, collectible and unique yellow-gold Audemars Piguet Ref.25720 Star Wheel (Special Engraved Dial Variant)
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The Watch is running well in superb condition.

The Dial is in perfect condition, with no inclusions or markings detected.

The Case in immaculate condition, with no deep scratches or any dings. Hallmarks still crisp and deep.

Year: Circa 1990s

Watch comes with Original Period Correct outer and inner box.
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Brief summary:
Maison Audermars Piguet, part of the “Holy Trinity” along side Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe, is a brand that needs no introduction. Making exceptional and historically important watches since 1875, Audermars Piguet has made many incredible pieces/references that have been sadly forgotten over the years as the brand slowly pivoted to only focusing on the Royal Oak, which has become their entire brand identity unfortunately.

We are very delighted to offer a very unique and special timepiece from the brands forgotten past/golden age, and something definitely you don’t see everyday!

It is believed that the wandering hours complication was first used on a night clock designed for Pope Alexander XII in 1656 by the Campani brothers, a well-known family of clockmakers in Rome. The insomniac pope requested the ability to read time in the dark, so an oil lamp was placed inside the clock case, illuminating the dial and allowing him to read the time through the open-worked numerals. The concept was briefly translated to pocket watches but was supplanted by the two-hand method of displaying the time.

In August 1989, Audemars Piguet watchmakers came across an article in an old Swiss watchmaking journal featuring an atypical clock, which indicated the time by means of three visible discs, themselves revolving around another disk. Audemars Piguet used this wandering hours clock as the inspiration for the Star Wheel. A year and a half of research went into the finished prototype, with the manufacture registering its own patent in the process

Birth the the Star Wheel, released in 1991, originally in yellow gold and platinum, with two different dial variants – engine turned and the rarer arabesque engraved, such as this example offered today.

The name of the watch is derived from the star-shaped wheels which connect the sapphire hour disks to this rotating centre ring.
It displays time via three sapphire disks with printed hours, which rotate on a centre wheel where the hour and minute hands are usually attached.
The hours on the disks point to the minutes on a 120-degree sector, gliding across them over the course of an hour. The rotating ring turns 360 degrees, one full turn, in 3 hours.

The contrast between the gorgeous arabesque engraving on the lower portion of the dial, the smooth finish of the minute indicator and the exposed mechanics in the centre - which are beautifully hand-finished with angling and polishing - offers a rich interplay of textures. Meanwhile, the numerals on the sapphire disks, which are executed in a playful font, seem to gracefully float above the rest of the dial.

At 36mm in diameter, and with a remarkably thin profile, the Star Wheel sits comfortably on the wrist. The stepped bezel and short, down-turned lugs, which work proportionately well together, lends a classic aesthetic to an otherwise distinctive and unusual dial layout.

The watch is powered by the self-winding calibre 2224, based on a Jaeger LeCoultre ébauche, having been modified to integrate the wandering hours function. It features 33 working jewels, has been adjusted to five positions, and also integrates an oscillating weight mounted on an unlubricated ceramic ball bearing, with one segment of the weight made out of 21-carat gold.

With the rising appreciation in neo-vintage watches, many of these forgotten or disregarded references have gotten much attention, and for good reason!
From one of the most prestigious watchmaking name in the industry, we can confidently say that this Ref.25720 Star Wheel offers great value to Collectors today, especially with the amount of watchmaking history and character it brings to the table, making it a superb addition for any serious collector!
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Please feel free to contact us for more questions or for a private viewing of the watch!
For more information do visit our Q&A post at https://carousell.app.link/roUoDh0y3kb

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