Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendars Explained: References and Service

An Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar is a watch that displays the day, date, month, leap year and moon phase and corrects itself for months of 30 and 31 days and for February, so it needs no adjustment until 2100. Audemars Piguet has built them since the 1950s and put one into the Royal Oak in 1984, and today the family runs from the 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26574 and its ceramic siblings 26579, through the openworked 26585 and 26586 and the ultra-thin 26586PT, to the Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar and the new calibre 7138 of 2025. This guide explains the references and calibres, how to set and service one, what the secondary market asked for them in 2026 and what to check before buying. Bizak & Co. sources every reference below to order; the Royal Oak collection lists the configurations we can seek.

Last reviewed on September 21, 2026 by Filip Biczak. Prices are dated observations, not quotes.

Which Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar references exist?

Source: the Audemars Piguet watch collection lists the current perpetual calendars with their calibres; the Audemars Piguet services page covers servicing, the warranty and extracts from the archives for older references. Year ranges above are approximate where the brand has not published dates.

What does an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar display?

The classic Royal Oak layout uses four subdials: day at 9, date at 3, month at 12 with the leap-year cycle, and moon phase at 6, with a 52-week calendar ring around the outside on the 26574 generation. The mechanism counts the length of each month mechanically, including the 29-day February in leap years, so the date is right without intervention until 1 March 2100, when the Gregorian calendar skips a leap year. The 5134 is a 41 mm adaptation of the 2120/2800 family Audemars Piguet introduced in 1978, one of the thinnest automatic perpetual calendars ever made. The 7138 of 2025 keeps the layout but replaces the recessed case correctors with a crown that sets every indication, which removes the main practical complaint about the older generation.

Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26574: the reference to know

The 26574 arrived in 2015 and is the perpetual calendar most people picture: a 41 mm Royal Oak case about 9.5 mm thick, a Grande Tapisserie dial in silver, blue or slate, and the 5134 visible through the caseback. It came in steel (26574ST), rose gold (26574OR), yellow gold (26574BA) and white gold (26574BC), with the steel blue dial the most requested. It was also the first Royal Oak perpetual calendar in ceramic when the 26579CE black version followed in 2017. Production of the 5134 generation wound down as the 7138 came in, so the 26574 is now a discontinued reference with a fixed supply, and steel examples continue to trade well above their last retail price.

Ceramic, titanium and openworked: the other Royal Oak perpetuals

• 26579CE, CB and CS. Black, white and blue ceramic cases and bracelets with the 5134. Ceramic Royal Oaks are lighter than steel, scratch-resistant and hard to finish, which is why they cost more; the blue 26579CS is the scarcest of the three.
• 26609TI. Titanium with a slate-grey dial, launched in 2022. It is the lightest dial version and, in our experience, the easiest current-generation perpetual to source close to its last retail.
• 26585 and 26586 Openworked. The calendar mechanism skeletonised on the 5135 calibre, in black ceramic, titanium, gold and platinum. They read less easily but show the cams and levers that make the calendar work.
• 26586PT Ultra-Thin. The 6.3 mm platinum production version of the 2018 RD#2 concept, with the calibre 5133 that flattens the whole calendar onto a single level. It is a limited production piece and rarely offered.

Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar 26394 and the calibre 7138

The Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar of 2019 put the 5134 into the brand's round 41 mm case with its octagonal middle and double-curved sapphire crystal, in white gold and rose gold. It is the dress alternative to the Royal Oak and trades at a discount to it on the secondary market, which makes it the value route to an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar in gold. In 2025 both families received the calibre 7138, with a longer 55-hour reserve, a 4 Hz balance and a crown that adjusts the date, day, month, leap year, week and moon in sequence without correctors. Expect the 7138 watches to be scarce through 2026 and the 5134 watches to be judged partly on the inconvenience of their correctors.

How do you set an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar?

On a 5134 watch, the correctors are recessed pushers in the case flanks, pressed with the supplied tool: one each for the date, the day, the month and leap year, the week and the moon. Do not use them in the hours around midnight while the calendar is changing over, roughly 8 pm to 4 am on the dial; the owner's manual gives the exact window for each reference. Set the calendar forward only; the mechanism does not run backwards. On a 7138 watch, the crown has extra positions that step through each indication. If a perpetual calendar has stopped for weeks, the sensible approach is a watch winder or a dealer who sets it before dispatch; a full reset takes time and a wrong press can damage the calendar levers.

Servicing an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar

A perpetual calendar service costs more than a time-only service because the calendar module comes off and every cam and jumper is inspected. Audemars Piguet services its own calibres at the manufacture and through authorised service centres, and the brand's services page sets out the process and the warranty on the work. The 2120/2800 family and the 5134 share parts and knowledge, so even the 1980s references are serviceable, but budget for it: a watch with no service history in the last six or seven years should be priced as one that needs a service. Keep the watch running; a perpetual calendar that is worn or kept on a winder needs setting only after a service.

How much is an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar? Prices in 2026

• Retail. Audemars Piguet publishes prices by market on its own site. The 7138 generation sits above the last 5134 prices, and the ceramic and openworked versions are priced well above steel.
• Bizak catalogue asks, 21 September 2026. Our sourced catalogue listed the 26574ST at US$120,974 and US$135,507 for a blue dial, pre-owned 26574ST examples from US$78,119 silver and US$83,699 blue, the 26574OR from US$140,650 to US$196,214 depending on dial and set, a white gold 26574BC blue at US$351,230, the 26609TI titanium at US$146,009, the 26579CE black ceramic at US$256,470, the 26579CB white ceramic at US$329,600, the 26579CS blue ceramic at US$504,321, a pre-owned openworked 26586IP at US$193,903 and the 26584OR with pink dial at US$172,049, all sourced to order.
• What moves the price. Full set with warranty card and the corrector tool, a blue dial, ceramic, an unpolished case and a recent manufacture service each add; missing tools and a stopped calendar subtract.

Those figures describe what we saw and will move. Ask for a dated quote for the exact reference and set; our Audemars Piguet price guide explains how to compare quotes.

Is an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar a good investment?

The steel 26574 and the ceramic 26579 have been among the strongest complicated watches on the secondary market since 2020, and discontinuation of the 5134 generation has fixed their supply. Precious-metal 26574s and the Code 11.59 have moved less and can be bought closer to their last retail. As with any complicated watch, the running cost is real: a service every several years, and a calendar that must be handled with care. Buy the complication because you want to use it; if resale matters, ask for a written cash-buy assessment before you commit. Our Nautilus 5740 guide covers the closest competitor from Patek Philippe.

Buying an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar: what to check

• Calendar accuracy. All indications should agree with today's date and moon phase, and the date should jump cleanly at midnight; a lazy or half-changed jump means a service.
• Correctors. On 5134 watches, each recessed pusher should move its display one step with light pressure; a stiff or dead corrector is expensive.
• Tool and papers. The corrector tool, the warranty card and, for current watches, the box should be present; ask for a manufacture extract on older references.
• Case and bracelet. Sharp bevels and even brushing; ceramic cases should show no chips at the bezel screws or lugs.
• Moon phase. The moon disc should sit centred in its aperture and match the current lunar date within a day.
• Service history. A manufacture service receipt within the last few years is worth a premium; no record means budget for one.
• Price against the band. A full-set steel or ceramic perpetual offered well under the market is the single most reliable warning sign.

Our authentication process describes what we inspect before dispatch, and our Royal Oak authentication and collecting guide goes deeper on cases, bracelets and paperwork.

Quick answers

What is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26574?

The 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar made from 2015 with the calibre 5134, in steel, rose gold, yellow gold and white gold, showing day, date, month, leap year, week and moon phase. It has been replaced by the calibre 7138 generation.

How much is an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar?

Bizak's sourced catalogue listed the steel 26574ST from US$120,974, pre-owned steel examples from US$78,119 and the black ceramic 26579CE at US$256,470 on 21 September 2026, sourced to order. Prices vary with reference, metal and set.

What is the calibre 7138?

Audemars Piguet's perpetual calendar movement launched in 2025 with a 55-hour reserve and a crown that sets every calendar indication without case correctors. It replaces the 5134 in the Royal Oak and Code 11.59.

How often should a perpetual calendar be serviced?

Audemars Piguet's services page sets out its recommendations; in practice, budget for a manufacture service every several years and price any watch with no service history in the last six or seven years as one that needs a service.

Does a perpetual calendar need adjusting?

Not while it runs. It accounts for 30-day, 31-day and February months, including leap years, until 1 March 2100. It only needs resetting if the watch stops.

Request an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar sourcing quote

Tell us the reference, metal, dial colour, preferred year range, condition and whether the full set is required, plus your budget and timing, through our sourcing enquiry form. We confirm the specific watch, photographs, card and final price before you commit. Catalogue entries: 26574ST steel blue, pre-owned 26574ST silver, 26574OR rose gold blue, 26579CE black ceramic, 26609TI titanium; browse the Royal Oak collection, the watches over US$50,000 collection, or sell or trade your Audemars Piguet.

Related reading: Royal Oak authentication and collecting guide · Audemars Piguet price guide · Patek Philippe Nautilus 5740 perpetual calendar guide · Patek Philippe price guide.