The replica royal oak 26579CB is the blue ceramic perpetual calendar — arguably the most visually striking Royal Oak in current production. AP introduced coloured ceramic to the range in recent years, and blue is the rarest variant. The same Cal. 5134 perpetual calendar tracks day, date, month, moon phase, and leap year without needing a date correction until the next century. Full blue ceramic case and bracelet, blue dial. Everything matches.
Blue Ceramic — Why It Is Rarer Than Black
Producing coloured ceramic requires adding metal oxide pigments to zirconium oxide powder before sintering. Blue demands cobalt oxide in precise concentrations. Too little and the ceramic comes out grey. Too much and it turns purple. The acceptable window is narrow, which means higher rejection rates during production and fewer finished pieces reaching the market.
The colour is baked into the material, not applied as a coating. It cannot fade, chip, or wear off. A blue ceramic Royal Oak will look the same blue in ten years that it does today. Under direct sunlight, the hue deepens. Under artificial light, it shifts slightly towards navy. This variability is part of the appeal — the watch changes character depending on where you are.
Functionally, blue ceramic shares the same properties as black: Mohs 8.5 hardness, scratch resistance, lighter than steel. The only difference is visual. And that visual difference is significant enough that the black ceramic 26579CE and this blue version attract entirely different buyers despite identical specifications. See our FAQ for common questions about ceramic watches.
Perpetual Calendar — Set It and Forget It
The perpetual calendar complication inside the 26579CB is mechanically identical to every other Royal Oak perpetual. The Cal. 5134 uses 38 jewels running at 19,800 vph with a 52-hour power reserve. Four sub-dials display month, day, date, and moon phase. A leap-year indicator sits within the moon phase window. The calendar programming is accurate through February 28, 2100 — the next time a century year is not a leap year.
The replica royal oak 26579CB in blue ceramic creates a monochromatic effect that the black version cannot replicate. Blue dial, blue case, blue bracelet — the sub-dial registers and printed text provide the only contrast. This makes the Grande Tapisserie pattern on the dial more important than usual because it adds visual texture to what would otherwise be a flat surface of uniform colour.
At 41mm and 10.1mm thick, the proportions match the standard Royal Oak silhouette. The perpetual calendar adds no visible bulk. Browse the full Royal Oak collection for time-only and chronograph alternatives.
| Reference | 26579CB.OO.1225CB.01 |
| Case | 41mm · blue ceramic |
| Bezel | Octagonal · 8 hexagonal screws · ceramic |
| Dial | Blue · Grande Tapisserie · 4 sub-dials |
| Crystal | Sapphire · AR coating |
| Caliber | 5134 · Automatic · 52h reserve |
| Bracelet | Blue ceramic · AP-link integrated |
| Buckle | Ceramic · AP folding clasp |
| Water | 20m / 2 ATM |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, perpetual calendar (day, date, month, moon phase, leap year) |
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