Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Ref. 25860 ST - Gary Kasparov with Papers
Straight Facts
It’s not unfair to say that Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is one of the most iconic watches ever made. Designed in 1972 by Gerald Genta, the Royal Oak completely changed the way that we look at a steel sports watch. For the first time, stainless steel was treated as a precious metal - receiving complex finishing techniques of brushing, polishing, and beveling - all by hand. The idea that its eight hexagonal bezel screws would be finely finished and left exposed for the wearer to see was a revolutionary thought. It’s no surprise that the model became the calling card for the family owned Audemars Piguet - not to mention one of the most sought after watches in the world. While the initial 5402 was time-only, AP quickly began to capitalize on the success of the Royal Oak and begin to integrate other complications and variations into this case.
That is exactly what we have here, The Royal Oak Chronograph. Prior to the Royal Oak’s introduction, AP was a master of high complications making beautiful movements in precious metals. It was only a matter of time after the Royal Oak that they would continue to leverage that mastery into the new case shape and that marriage resulted in some iconic watches like the present 25860 ST. Housed in a 39mm Royal Oak Case, the dial exhibits the same tappiserie design we love on the normal Royal Oak, but with three silver rings outlining the chronograph sub-registers. The monochromatic blue helps to make the dial look clean and very traditional, despite the case fitting two chronograph pushers at 2 and 5 positions. Furthermore, this is the model favored by world renowned chess champion Gary Kasparov. Gary can often been seen in photographs wearing this piece on his wrist - maybe even using the chronograph as a chess timer?
While the Royal Oak range has experimented with tourbillions, perpetual calendars, Day-Date-Moonphase, and others - the Royal Oak Chronograph is perhaps one of the most authentic designs and is an affordable access point to where haute design meets haute horology.
*Some marks or spots on the dial are reflections or dust on the crystal and are due to high intensity strobe lighting used while photographing. They are not actually on the watch or visible in natural lighting.
Case
Condition
Movement
Bracelet
Shipping, Returns, & Warranty
At Oliver & Clarke, domestic shipping is on us! If you are international and require a quote – please feel free to reach out to us at info@oliverandclarke.com so we can get you squared away.
Returns (accepted within 3 days of initial delivery of your purchase) must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. For payments via Credit Card, a 5% restocking fee will be in place for any returns or cancellations in order to cover our processing fee. Of course, watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.
If you happen to trade a watch with us, which we welcome, trades are final, except of course if the watch is grossly misdescribed or misrepresented.
We back each Oliver & Clarke timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty starting at the date of first delivery. We service or perform necessary maintenance to the extent necessary to all of our watches, unless otherwise noted. All watches are listed and sold running and functioning as intended.
*Please note that due to the vintage or antique nature of many of our watches, these machines may not run as accurately as they did when new, nor will any mechanical timepiece keep time as accurately as a quartz or electronic device.
We do not guarantee water resistance, thus do not warranty against moisture incursion or water damage.
*We also do not recommend deliberate exposure to water or worse - steam!
Our warranty is voided under the following circumstances:
- Internal or external damage caused by an accident, mishandling, abuse, modification, or handling/service performed by a third party individual other than one of our own.
Our warranty is non-transferable.
The Oliver & Clarke Guarantee
Through rigorous vetting of each watch offered, we’re able to guarantee authenticity of our pieces. Ultimately, your satisfaction is our mission, as is helping you get YOUR perfect watch. If you have any questions at all, we will get back to you ASAP.
Each of our timepieces are vetted, evaluated, authenticated, and approved by our experienced team prior to sale. We guarantee the period-correctness of all components unless otherwise disclosed. We guarantee the authenticity of each watch in perpetuity.
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"As collectors themselves, Oliver and Clarke are on a mission to make buying vintage watches as painless as possible."
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From Rolex & Patek Philippe, to Cartier & Audemars Piguet. As collectors first, we love the small details that separate the Submariner from Daytona and Calatrava from Royal Oak. This is why you'll find our curated assortment spans decades of generations of models and brands. We believe that watches don't just tell time, they tell history - and life is too short to wear a boring watch.
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