In the early 1990s, Audemars Piguet tasked its in-house designer Emmanuel Gueit to reinvent the classic Royal Oak model and infuse it with new life and power. For years, Gueit and his team worked on a prototype and subsequently presented the final product, reference 25721ST, in 1993 at Basel. The result was astonishing and something completely different from what the public had ever seen before. It was shortly nicknamed “The Beast” due to what was, at the time, its astonishing 42mm case size. The launch of reference 25721ST marked the beginning of the Offshore lineage. In fact, it arguably established the trend for large-sized watches, which is today is the complete norm.

An early "D series" version, the present watch features a beautiful dial that has turned a pleasing light caramel tone over the years. This "tropical" effect is completely astonishing. There is no telling how a watch will turn in tone over time, and this particular example has aged in a stunning manner. It most notably displays an early and correct D series dial with a smaller tapisserie motif. The present watch is furthermore preserved in excellent condition with crisp bevels and satin finishes throughout and is accompanied by its presentation box.