THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: AUDEMARS PIGUET
MODEL: 25964PT.OO.D022CR.01
YEAR: 2001
BOX/PAPERS: NO/YES (ARCHIVE)
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: PLATINUM/18K WHITE GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

Introduced in 1989, the Jules collection—as AP put it—is a tribute to Jules Louis Audemars, one of the founding fathers of the brand. The collection focuses on timeless designs with high levels of finishing and continues to this day.

In 2001, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the brand’s founding, AP produced the reference 25964 in both rose gold and platinum. The production numbers remain unknown, but according to the price list from that year, they retailed at €98,000 and €114,000 respectively—equivalent to over €200,000 today.

The watch itself is crafted from both platinum and 18k white gold. The mid-case is platinum, while the bezel and caseback are white gold. An interesting detail: the white gold caseback is covered by sapphire glass to preserve the decorative engravings.

It uses the highly regarded cal. 2875, the same movement found in the first Royal Oak tourbillon, which remained in use until 2016. The dial features a power reserve (54 hours fully wound), calendar wheel, and time display—all while leaving room to showcase the tourbillon escapement.

The original exotic leather strap and white gold buckle are still present, and the AP extract from the archives accompanies the watch. We’ve had the movement checked over, and it’s running superbly at 0 s/d, 280 amps, with a beat error of 0.1 ms. If you love ultra-low production APs, this is definitely one to consider for your collection.