Famed as one of watchmaking's most successful risk-takers, Audemars Piguet is rightfully renowned for incredible avant-garde timepieces that push horological boundaries far beyond what most would consider reasonable. While the Royal Oak springs to mind as an unusual release given the prevailing market conditions that surrounded it due to the Quartz Crisis and the general lack of stainless steel in most luxury brands' portfolios, the watch I have here represents perhaps one of the more interesting offerings by Audemars Piguet due to the sheer originality of its design and novel display – the Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel Ref. 25898.
First introduced in 1991, its inaugural version (the Ref. 25720, which we have also previously listed in the past) represented a highly unconventional watch design for its era, especially amidst the increasing popularity and the market’s preferential shift towards sports watches. This design, which now appears remarkably ahead of its time, drew inspiration from the historical wandering hours complication dating back to the 17th century. The Star Wheel showcases this innovation through three rotating sapphire disks positioned at the top of its dial. Even to this day, the Ref. 25720 continues to influence contemporary brands such as Urwerk due to its distinctive layout, garnering a dedicated following and solidifying its place within Audemars Piguet's esteemed history as another groundbreaking industry trendsetter.
However, the Star Wheel Ref. 25720 had a brief production run of only 5 years before being discontinued. It later reappeared in Audemars Piguet's lineup in the form of the Millenary. The specific example offered here today, the Ref. 25898BA in lustrous 18-carat yellow gold, is part of a trio of limited editions in stainless steel, yellow gold and rose gold that was released back in 2000 to commemorate Audemars Piguet's 125th anniversary as a watch manufacture. In stainless steel, 125 pieces were produced, in rose gold 75 pieces and the yellow gold example we have here today is the rarest, with only 50 pieces produced.
Based on my observations over the years, opinions on the Millenary’s case design vary greatly—it's either loved or disliked without much middle ground. Personally, I find myself among its admirers, appreciating its balanced and unconventional appearance, especially considering Audemars Piguet's renowned association with the Royal Oak. The Millenary stands out positively for me as an exception. I think it is also worth mentioning that Audemars Piguet made an excellent choice in selecting this case to house a technically complex ‘wandering hours’ mechanism like the Star Wheel. Traditionally, non-circular cases present significant geometric challenges in watch design. However, in this design, I find that the oval shape of the case and its subtly stepped conical bezel actually contribute to a sense of visual coherence across the entire mechanism. Moreover, it contributes to its overall wearability; despite its 41mm diameter on paper, it wears more compactly than one might expect from the specifications alone.
Nestled within its warm and lustrous 18-carat yellow gold oval case is a cream dial accented by a contrasting grey sector that highlights the hours. Positioned on the right side of the dial is a linear track dedicated to displaying the minutes. The movement of time is realized as each hour disk containing numerals of 1 to 12 with a small arrow on each end, traverses through the grey-coloured sector, marking the transition of hours with each disk seamlessly taking its place along the track. Looking at the dial, Audemars Piguet has also achieved impeccable visual balance on this unconventional dial by placing a vertically arching ‘Audemars Piguet’ signature on the left portion of the dial with the 'AP' logo at 12:00, as well as ‘Star Wheel’ at the 6:00.
Powering the Ref. 25898BA from within is Audemars Piguet’s self-winding Cal. 2224, a 36-jewelled calibre based on the Jaeger-Lecoultre Cal. 889.
For all of the reasons I have elaborated above, this Millenary Star Wheel Ref. 25898BA is undeniably a charming watch that you don’t typically see on wrists very often. While the case profile of the Millenary may not resonate universally with everyone, I think that is precisely what makes the watch so intriguing, particularly for those who are seeking a unique piece of watch design from a member of the Holy Trinity in watchmaking.
