One and the Same Blue

Perpetual calendars hold a special place in the Royal Oak collection. Audemars Piguet was one of the first, if not the first, to create a wristworn model featuring a perpetual calendar, back in 1921. Moreover, this complication is available in almost all the materials used by the Royal Oak, which proves its importance. Finally, the ceramic Royal Oak is yet another specialty that is literally snapped up as soon as one becomes available. It must be said that the movement used is very comprehensive, with its weekly calendar displayed on the inner bezel ring and its astronomical precision moon-phase display. The combination of all these factors is adorned with a final monochrome feature, in that Reference 2679 is completely blue. A bright, vibrant blue that is not electric and certainly not dark. What’s more, this hue graces every element of the dial, from its base to the raised Grande Tapisserie pattern and on to the date counters and the inner bezel ring. The variety of textures, depths and materials creates a rhythm that is not diminished by the total uniformity of the color. While it is incredibly difficult for a PVD-coated dial to achieve the same shade of blue as a ceramic, that’s exactly what Audemars Piguet has achieved here, and it’s an accomplishment rare enough to deserve a special mention.

Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

Case: blue ceramic, transparent sapphire crystal and caseback, water-resistant to 20m (2 bar)
Size: 41mm, 9.5mm thick
Movement: mechanical self-winding, Caliber 5134, 2.75Hz, 40h power reserve, 22K gold openworked rotor
Functions: hours, minutes, perpetual calendar with week, day, date, month, astronomical moon phases, leap years
Dial: blue with Grande Tapisserie pattern, applied hour-markers and white gold hands with luminescent coating
Bracelet: blue ceramic with titanium AP folding clasp
Price: on request