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Editor's Pick

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar In Blue Ceramic

By Neha S. Bajpai
3 Oct 2022
4 min read

Rooted in tradition but futuristic in its form, AP’s newest perpetual calendar packs a heavy horological punch under its royal blue bonnet

 

The newest model in Audemars Piguet’s QP collection might not be the boldest watch in the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary line-up this year but it’s definitely the hottest ceramic timepiece on the market right now. While we have seen a couple of blue ceramic watches in recent years (think of the Hublot Big Bang Integrated and the Zenith Defy Classic), AP’s latest perpetual calendar stands out for its rock star vibes and some serious horological punch packed under that royal blue bonnet.

Audemars Piguet first created waves with a Royal Oak QP in all black ceramic back in 2017. Two years later, we were wowed by a white ceramic version of this perpetual calendar and this year, the third iteration, presented in a high-tech blue ceramic case and a complementing grande tapisserie blue dial, has totally hit it out of the park.

Lightweight and highly scratch-resistant, ceramic is one of the best materials for watchmaking but it’s also the hardest to work with. According to AP, it takes over 30 hours to just work on the ceramic bracelet for a Royal Oak. Now imagine the time spent on brushing and hand-polishing the 41 mm case! The entire exercise of satin-brushing and polishing the sharp bevels lends a multifaceted architecture to the octagonal case, which looks even more glamorous in ceramic.

 

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According to Audemars Piguet, merely working on the ceramic bracelet for a Royal Oak takes more than 30 hours Photo: Perkin Yu/ Wristcheck

 

A Royal Oak In Royal Blue

Powered by the self winding caliber 5134, which was also seen in the previous two Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars in ceramic, the cool blue version brings together all the hallmarks of the 50-year-old icon – right from the grande tapisserie dial to the sleek bracelet – in a fantastic expression. The electric blue hue for this watch was achieved with the help of a secret ceramic composition that included the use of powdered Zirconium Oxide mixed with  a “binder content”. The said material goes through several stages of complex machining processes and the components achieve their final color only after they have been sintered at more than 1,400°C.

 

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Water-resistant up to 20m, the watch is equipped with the self-winding Caliber 5134, which delivers a power reserve of 40 hours Photo: Perkin Yu/ Wristcheck

 

Besides the attractive new colorway, AP has ensured the watch’s complications are as captivating as its ceramic form. Nicely spread out on the matching blue dial, the three calendar subdials and moon phase present a nice aesthetic balance while offering a range of displays like hours, minutes, day, date, week, month, astronomical moon and leap year indication. The contrasting 18k white gold applied hour-markers and faceted hands are filled with a luminescent coating to help the wearer keep track of time in the dark.

 

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The three calendar subdials and moon phase offer a range of functions like hours, minutes, day, date, week, month, astronomical moon and leap year indication Photo: Perkin Yu/ Wristcheck

 

A Mastery In Calendar Watches

Audemars Piguet’s history in perpetual calendar dates back to 1875 when Jules Louis Audemars created a pocket watch with a perpetual calendar combined with a quarter repeater mechanism and an independent deadbeat second function.

In 1955, AP introduced the world’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch with leap year indication. Over the years, the brand’s quest for thin mechanical timepieces encouraged it to create the world’s thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch powered by the Caliber 2120.

 

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The electric blue hue for this watch was achieved with the help of a secret ceramic composition that included the use of powdered Zirconium Oxide mixed with a “binder content” Photo: Perkin Yu/ Wristcheck

 

One of the most recent milestones in the history of perpetual calendars from Audemars Piguet came in 2018 with the introduction of 41 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin, known as RD#2. Just 6.33 thick, this watch was powered by Caliber 5133 and was introduced as the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch then. 

Rooted in tradition but futuristic in its form, Audemars Piguet’s new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in Blue Ceramic is the perfect addition to the brand’s most famous watch made over the last five decades.

 

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The blue ceramic bracelet features a titanium AP folding clasp Photo: Perkin Yu/ Wristcheck

 

Specifications 

Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar In Blue Ceramic 

Reference Number: 26579CS.OO.1225CS.01
Movement: Selfwinding Caliber 5134
Functions: Perpetual calendar with day, date, week, month, astronomical moon and leap year indications, hours and minutes
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Dial: Blue dial with Grande Tapisserie pattern, blue subdials and inner bezel, white gold applied hour markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Case: Blue ceramic case and screw-locked crown, glareproofed sapphire crystal and titanium caseback
Water Resistance: Up to 20m
Bracelet: Blue ceramic bracelet with titanium AP folding clasp
Price on request.

For further information, visit Audemars Piguet.