Audemars Piguet’s 2025 New Releases: A Brand New Perpetual Calendar Movement & More

A New Era Of Perpetual Calendars

Ask any owner of a perpetual calendar if their watch has all its calendar information set correctly. Most will tell you that they don’t. The main reason? It’s a painful user experience to constantly have to set the day, date, month, leap year, moonphase, and week on your perpetual calendar if you don’t wear it regularly. And if you did want to set it, you’d have to do it with a special tool – a stylus.

As it turns out, AP has quietly been working on solving one of the watch world’s biggest headaches. After five years of development, they’ve just unveiled the Caliber 7138—a genuinely game-changing movement that’s sure to make other brands pay close attention.

The focus here? User experience. AP has reimagined the perpetual calendar with a user-friendly correction system, ditching traditional tools and side corrector pushers. Instead, they’ve introduced an “all-in-one” crown with four intuitive positions:

 

1. Neutral Position: Wind the watch clockwise.

2. Position 2a: Set the date clockwise, and adjust the month and leap year counterclockwise.

3. Position 3: Set the time bidirectionally.

4. Position 2b: Set the day and week clockwise, and the moon phases counterclockwise.

 

It’s a smart, practical upgrade that makes setting a perpetual calendar easier than ever.

This new movement makes its debut inside a 41mm 18-carat white gold Code 11.59 with an “Ice” blue embossed dial (Ref. 26494BC.OO.D350KB.01), and two 41mm Royal Oak models; one in stainless steel with a blue dial (Ref 26674ST.OO.1320ST.01) which will surely become a favorite among collectors, and the flagship perpetual calendar model for Audemars Piguet. The second Royal Oak model will come in 18-carat sand gold (Ref. 26674SG.OO.1320SG.01) with a matching sand gold-toned dial. All three models will also have a special “150th Anniversary” version with subtle design cues, limited to 150 pieces only.

 

Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “150th Anniversary” Limited Edition

To pay a final tribute to Caliber 5135, the current movement used in AP’s collection of openworked perpetual calendars, the Maison is giving it a proper send-off with the brand new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “150th Anniversary” limited edition.

For this execution, Audemars Piguet has taken vintage-inspired design elements from a historical openworked perpetual calendar pocket watch. The brand is also blending old and new by using a high-tech combination of titanium and Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) paired with the dial’s vintage aesthetic, including a dedicated vintage-inspired font. This combination of material is currently used in the Royal Oak “Jumbo” ref. 16202XT.

The new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “150th Anniversary” features a sapphire dial that showcases the intricate openworked movement inside. The inner bezel and subdial surrounds echo the classic look of the original pocket watch, adorned with a deep blue hue that complements the 18-carat white gold bathtub hands, which are filled with luminescent material for enhanced readability. The hour markers are crafted in a silver-grey tone and a refined round shape, reminiscent of the brilliant-cut diamond markers on the historical model. Additionally, the white typeface for the perpetual calendar’s numerical and alphabetical displays has been updated to lend to the dial's elegant, vintage feel. As you can imagine, this limited edition will only be produced in 150 pieces as showcased by the special engraving on the caseback.

 

Two New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Models In Ceramic

AP has also released two new Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph watches, expanding upon its mastery of ceramic.

The first model (Ref. 26420CE.OO.A063VE.01) features a 43mm black ceramic case with green ceramic accents on the bezel, crown, and chronograph pushers. Powered by Caliber 4401, this model offers a 70-hour power reserve, a flyback chronograph function, and a quick-release strap system that allows for strap changes on the fly.

The second model (Ref. 26238CE.OO.1300CE.02) comes in full black ceramic – pairing a 42mm case with a matching integrated case. You might think you’ve seen this watch before – but this new version is different from the black ceramic Royal Oak Offshore “The Beast” released in 2023 for the 30th anniversary of the Offshore. Here, the dial has been updated with the latest generation of the Méga Tapisserie pattern, and the inner bezel and snailed counters at 6, 9, and 12 o’clock are colored in black to match the watch’s monochromatic aesthetic. The hands are also more modern and robust in this new revamped design. The movement inside the watch is still the same Caliber 4404 seen before with the flyback chronograph function.

 

New 41mm Code 11.59 Models In Stainless Steel And White Gold

Year after year, we see Audemars Piguet continuously improving the Code 11.59 collection by adding new options and designs. While still the topic of many a discussion within the watch-collecting community, one can’t deny that there has been some great work put into this collection.

These new models in stainless steel pair gray with Audemars Piguet’s signature “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” hue. Available in two versions, a Selfwinding (Ref. 15210ST.OO.A009KB.01) and a Selfwinding Chronograph (Ref. 26393ST.OO.A009KB.01) version, they’re both solid options for day-to-day wear.

 

The dials feature an interesting embossed pattern designed by the Audemars Piguet team and Swiss artisan Yann von Kaenel. Engraved by hand, the base dies used to stamp the dials feature a pattern of concentric circles like ripples on the surface of water. These circles are dotted with tiny holes that catch the light just right, making the dials shine and shimmer.

The Selfwinding model beats to the rhythm of Caliber 4302: displaying hours, minutes, seconds, and a date indication. The Chronograph reference is powered by Caliber 4401, an integrated selfwinding chronograph with a column wheel and flyback function.

The last new model being introduced in this collection is the Code 11.59 in 18-carat white gold with a new Tuscany blue dial and a blue ceramic mid-case. Similar to sandblasting, this finishing on the dial lends the surface a grainy texture, which requires great skill to achieve a homogenous rendering. This special edition is also outfitted with baguette-cut diamond hour markers. The Code 11.59 Tuscany Blue Special Edition will be offered exclusively to the North American market in March 2025, and will be available globally two months later.

 

The 38mm Code 11.59, Now With A Flying Tourbillon

Audemars Piguet has introduced, for the first time, the flying tourbillon complication in a 38mm diameter case. This is possible with the use of the ultra-thin RD#3 movement, Caliber 2968, also seen in 2022 on the 39mm Royal Oak “Jumbo” and a smaller 37mm model. This 3.4mm thick movement is the perfect choice to introduce the flying tourbillon complication in a smaller package within the Code 11.59 collection. The sophisticated, high-end complication is presented here in a sand gold case (a first for the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection) set with 235 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Discover our Audemars Piguet collection here.