Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 6009ST

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK 6009ST
Steel | Rectangular Quartz Royal Oak

Origin

Jules Louis Audemars and Edward August Piguet, two young men passionate about haute horlogerie, founded Audemars Piguet back in 1875 in the Vallée de Joux, the cradle of fine watchmaking. 

From 1918 onwards, the Audemars Piguet factory was passed onto the founders’ sons, who perfected their expertise in manufacturing fine wristwatches as well as designing new sophisticated ultra-thin movements with perseverance and initiative as the key watchwords, navigating the business through times of war. It was in this same bold spirit of endurance that the Royal Oak was launched in 1972 at Baselworld. It is considered the first high-quality sports watch in steel – and has been successful ever since. Rooted in tradition, made for the future.

The Watch

This classic rectangular Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is an exceptionally rare quartz watch, produced in the period of 1980-1985, making this watch circa 40 years old. The case measures 28mm by 38mm. The rectangular design was to mark the introduction of the quartz movement integrated in the Royal Oak collection for the first time. 

The bold black dial in Petite Tapisserie pattern, a signature choice for the Royal Oak collection, features contrasting baton hands, steel markers and the applied Audemars Piguet logo at 12. Audemars Piguet is written on the dial in an old font, underling the vintage feel of this Royal Oak. An integrated component bracelet with deployant clasp and ‘AP’ signed clasp cover provides secure comfortability and delicate hand-finishing, that was earlier unseen on durable sport watches.

An example of this exquisite finishing is the ‘quartz’ engraving on the caseback of the watch. Its ultra-thin profile in combination with the flat sapphire crystal and rounded edges of the case, extending to the profile of the bracelet, give this piece a very elegant look. This is only enhanced by the varied textures of the watch – polished notches and an overall brushed finish – with its angular, bevelled and polished edges throughout. 

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has been produced mainly in bicolor editions, a fashion choice in the eighties. Steel variants, like this one, are considered to be limited nowadays.

The Movement

Quartz was used for the first time in the 70s and revolutionized the notions of horological precision. The original Audemars Piguet quartz movement, calibre 2508 is based on a regulator, the time-measuring element, consisting of a quartz crystal through which an electric current is passed. Time is divided into equal intervals by this resonator, vibrating at an exceptional high frequency (32’768 Hz).

Condition

This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 6009ST is as-new. It has just been serviced by an authorised Audemars Piguet Service Center where it has had a complete service. It has not been worn since. Both the watch and its integrated bracelet, with full links and without stretch, are in mint condition. The set includes the service box, service papers and the Audemars Piguet quartz movement manual.

If you desire to take a closer look at this precious timepiece, don't hesitate to contact us and make an appointment.