Royal Oak Kasparov

Audemars Piguet watches don’t get nicknames quite as often as those from Rolex, and in the case of the Kasparov, the choice of nickname seems secondary to the historical significance of the watch itself. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 25860ST was launched in late 1997, marking the first occasion of a chronograph complication being fitted into the Royal Oak line. To be fair, the Royal Oak Offshore chronograph came first, however the 25860ST was unveiled with its own in-house manufacture caliber 2385 automatic movement, whereas the Offshore used a JLC-derived caliber fitted with a Dubois-Depraz module. The model became an immediate staple of the Royal Oak Collection, remaining largely unchanged for an entire decade.

Where the nickname comes into play is simple, and something many would now consider rather niche. At the time of its launch, chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov was already a friend of the brand, and promptly started wearing the new chronograph during his matches. In the era, there was a bit more buzz around chess; Kasparov was the youngest chess Grandmaster, earning the title at the age of 22, and it wasn’t long after that we started seeing supercomputers being put forth to challenge these leading players. Where the watch rose to fame was through an interesting quirk of his, as Kasparov would always remove his wristwatch before his final winning move. From there, the nickname was set.

Our example is presented in good condition with signs of wear or polishing. The watch is offered with archives paper and original Audemars Piguet box.