Manufacturer: Audemars Piguet
Year: Circa 1997
Reference No: 25720PT
Movement No: 376’617
Case No: D8330
Model Name: Star Wheel
Material: Platinum
Calibre: Automatic, caliber 2124, 32 jewels
Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
Clasp/Buckle: Platinum Audemars Piguet buckle
Dimensions: 36mm Diameter
Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
Accessories: Accompanied by Audemars Piguet service receipt and payment slip dated March 24, 2022, and photocopy of the instruction page.
Catalogue Essay
Audemars Piguet’s Star Wheel wristwatch was a modern rendition of the wandering hour complication, which was known as early as the 1600s. The Campanus brothers of Italy produced a clock for Pope Alexander VII in the 17th century with wandering hours that allowed the hour and minute scales to be backlit so the pontiff could see the time at night. While the complication found little favour at the time, over the centuries its popularity grew, and various formats were used in pocket watches. Today several manufacturers offer similar complications , however Audemars Piguet was at the forefront when it released the Star Wheel in 1991. This alternative way to tell time featured three sapphire disks with printed hours rotating on a center wheel, with the hour pointing the minutes on a 120-degree sector. Produced for a few short years before being discontinued in 1996, the automatic Audemars Piguet Star Wheel was available in yellow gold, stainless steel, and platinum, like the present lot.

Freshly serviced by Audemars Piguet in 2022, this Star Wheel from 1997 is in superb overall condition, with gorgeous guilloché dial that has aged beautifully. With its classically sized 36mm case, this is a rare opportunity to own one of the first 20th-century satellite wristwatches ever produced.
Artist Biography
Audemars Piguet
Swiss • 1881
A specialist in the manufacture of complications since it was established in 1881, Audemars Piguet never ceases to impress with a rich history of creating bold, even audacious, timepieces underpinned by traditional watchmaking at its finest. This Le Brassus-based Swiss manufacturer is one of only two major manufacturers still owned by the founding family. Since its earliest days, AP is considered a leader in the field of minute repeaters and grande complication pocket and wristwatches. The brand is devoted to preserving the history of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux, showcased at their superb museum in Le Brassus.
Today, the brand is best known for its Royal Oak models, a revolutionary luxury sports watch launched in 1972. Other key models include early minute repeating wristwatches, vintage chronograph wristwatches, such as the oversized reference 5020, perpetual calendar watches and the Royal Oak Offshore, first introduced in 1993.
View More Works