Calendar complications are deeply rooted in Audemars Piguet watchmaking and began their uninterrupted history in the Vallé de Joux. There, Audemars Piguet’s two founders developed Jules Louis Audemars’ watch, which combined a perpetual calendar with a quarter-hour repeater, several times over. However, in the company’s first two decades, calendar complications accounted for less than 10% of total production.
The first full calendar wristwatch went into production in 1921 and was sold to the renowned retailer Gübelin three years later. In 1955, the manufacture brought out the world’s first wristwatch with a perpetual calendar and leap year display, of which nine were produced between 1955 and 1957. Now – in 2022 – the new version of its Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar appears in a blue gloss.
The case of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar with a diameter of 41 mm celebrates a premiere – it is made out of blue ceramic for the first time. The refined blue aesthetics and screw-down crown highlight the wear- and scratch-resistant material of the 9.5 mm thick timepiece. Ceramic requires precise fabrication and embellishments from the artisans at Le Brassus to match its anticipated appearance. An anti-reflective sapphire crystal and titanium case back reveal the traditional decorations of haute horlogerie: Côtes de Genève, circular graining, sunbursts and polished bevels.
The Grande Tapisserie pattern dial, sub-dials and inner bezel have been colour-matched to the blue ceramic case of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. The applied baton indexes are made of 18-carat white gold. In addition, the royal oak hands have a luminous coating, which enables optimal reading even during longer periods of darkness.
The three calendar dials evenly distributed on the dial at 12, 3 and 9 o’clock, as well as the moon phase indicator at 6 o’clock, ensure aesthetic balance and good readability of hours, minutes, day, date, week, month, astronomical moon and leap year.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is powered by the self-winding calibre 5134 and has a power reserve of 40 hours. This mechanism automatically takes into account the number of days in the month and correctly displays the current date even in leap years.
If regular winding of the watch is ensured, the date does not have to be corrected manually until the year 2100 to match the Gregorian calendar. The movement sitting inside the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar required a rearrangement of numerous components, including the openworked oscillating weight made of 22-carat gold. The movement operates at a frequency of 2.75 hertz.
The blue ceramic bracelet with titanium folding clasp has been matched to the rest of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar’s colour scheme. Price on request.
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