Royal Oak (56175TT)

While a tantalum timepiece is already rare and desirable, it was the Championship that introduced the impressive material not only to Audemars Piguet but also to the whole watch world, making it possibly the most significant tantalum timepiece or, at the very least, an important reference point in watchmaking.

Produced in 1991 as a limited edition of 2000 pieces - of which 1100 were already pre-sold to collectors upon release - to commemorate golfer Sir Nick Faldo's second Masters Tournament win, the reference 56175TT was the very first bi-metal single-tone Royal Oak and among the first luxury watches to feature tantalum. Tantalum is the rarest stable metal in the universe, beating even platinum, and is almost as satisfyingly dense as platinum. It has superior strength and is more corrosion and scratch resistant compared to stainless steel, similar to tungsten, but tantalum is crack resistant unlike tungsten. Being the best-of-all-worlds, however, means that tantalum is exceedingly difficult to machine and finish to a high degree, resulting in very high premiums for a luxury watch made from the stuff.

Don't be fooled by the exquisite graphite grey hand-guillochéd Petite Tapisserie dial; the Royal Oak is traditionally a sports watch, and the 56175TT lives up to that utility with a quartz movement, which is in almost every way more reliable than a mechanical one, and compact size. The Royal Oak case is known to wear much larger that it appears on paper, however, and the 56175 references have been likened to a 36 mm Rolex Datejust on the wrist.

The dial and hands are flawless. The case and bracelet exhibit no sign of refinishing and remain in great condition with some shallow scratches on the bezel, case back, and bracelet.

What do the different grading scores mean?

• BN 9.9: Brand new and unworn, with no signs of use.
• UN 9.5: Like new and unworn, but may lack original packaging or materials such as the box, links, tags, or bezel protector.
• LN 9.0: Like new and unworn, but only includes the watch without papers, box, or accessories.
• MT 8.5: Mint condition, lightly used with minor surface scratches or wear. Unpolished.
• VG 8.0: Moderately used, with scratches and one or two nicks on the case or crystal. Shows signs of polishing. The bracelet remains snug with minimal wear.
• GD 7.5: Shows signs of daily wear but is not abused, with noticeable polishing on the case. The bracelet shows clear signs of daily wear.

Watches with a rating below GD 7.5 are not listed for bidding to ensure that only high-quality timepieces are available to our members.