The replica royal oak 26579CE is a perpetual calendar in full black ceramic. That combination almost never happens in watchmaking — a complication that traditionally lives in precious metal cases, built instead into a material that weighs less than steel and cannot be scratched by anything short of diamond. The four sub-dials track day, date, month, and moon phase with a leap-year indicator. Set it correctly once and it requires no date correction until 2100.
Perpetual Calendar in Ceramic — What That Means
A perpetual calendar tracks the date, day, month, and moon phase while automatically accounting for months of different lengths and leap years. Most brands put this complication into gold or platinum because the owners typically treat it as a dress watch. AP took a different position with the 26579CE: build the perpetual calendar into black ceramic and pair it with an integrated bracelet. The result is a complicated watch you can actually wear daily without worrying about the case.
The Cal. 5134 runs at 19,800 vibrations per hour — slower than the time-only movements, which is standard for perpetual calendar calibers. The lower frequency reduces wear on the calendar mechanism. Power reserve sits at 52 hours, enough for a weekend off the wrist but not as generous as the 70-hour time-only models. Keep that in mind if you rotate watches.
Black ceramic gives the entire watch a stealth quality. No polished steel catching light from across the room. The octagonal bezel and hex screws are still there, still recognizable, but they blend into the case rather than contrasting against it. The blue ceramic 26579CB uses the same case dimensions and movement in a completely different visual register.
Four Sub-Dials — Reading the Display
The perpetual calendar layout uses four sub-registers arranged symmetrically. Month at 12 o’clock, day of the week at 9, date at 3, and moon phase at 6. The leap-year indicator sits within the moon phase aperture. Once you learn the layout, reading it becomes second nature — but the first few days require conscious effort to parse all the information on the dial.
The replica royal oak 26579CE sits at 41mm, the same diameter as the standard Royal Oak. At 10.1mm thick, it is only marginally thicker than the time-only models despite housing the full perpetual calendar module. AP achieved this by keeping the Cal. 5134 relatively compact with 38 jewels and careful architectural choices inside the movement.
Water resistance drops to 20m on perpetual calendar references — enough for accidental splashes but not for swimming. The corrector pushers on the case sides are the reason. They allow you to adjust each calendar function independently but create additional entry points for moisture. Browse the Royal Oak collection for water-resistant alternatives, or check our warranty terms.
| Reference | 26579CE.OO.1225CE.01 |
| Case | 41mm · black ceramic |
| Bezel | Octagonal · 8 hexagonal screws · ceramic |
| Dial | Black · Grande Tapisserie · 4 sub-dials |
| Crystal | Sapphire · AR coating |
| Caliber | 5134 · Automatic · 52h reserve |
| Bracelet | Black 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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