As part of its 150th Anniversary celebrations, Audemars Piguet introduces the new calibre 7138 to the Royal Oak collection and its perpetual calendars. The brand honors its legacy while embracing innovation, and reimagined the perpetual calendar with a focus on ergonomics. Audemars Piguet’s latest cutting-edge movement incorporates three patented mechanisms and allows the wearer to make all the perpetual calendar necessary adjustments via the crown, thus eliminating the need for any correctors or pushers around its case.
To enhance user experience and refine the case design, AP’s engineers have developed a seamless, intuitive correction system controlled entirely via the crown. This breakthrough allows adjustments anywhere, without tools or risk of damage, making high complications more accessible than ever and also without the need to keep them in a winder to avoid the tedious risky process of adjusting the perpetual calendar after more than 3 days without wearing the watch.
The new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar reference 26674 is available in stainless steel as reference 26674ST.OO.1320ST.01 or in 18K Sand Gold as reference 26674SG.OO.1320SG.01. The new watches maintain the same case size proportions as its predecessors—references 26574, 26579, 26584, 26585, 26579, 26609, 26615, and 26613—at 41 mm in diameter and 9.5 mm in thickness. Both new watches continue to have a water resistance of up to 50 meters.
The dial, either blue or sand gold toned with tone-on-tone registers features some changes when compared to its predecessors. With the new calibre, the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ref. 26674 shows a different layout.
Looking at the layout of the previous iteration of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar below, you will notice that the date indication on the new reference has been moved to 12 o’clock, instead of 3 o’clock. Meanwhile, the month indication moved from 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock. Additionally, AP added a 24-hour indication on the day of the week subdial.
It took a total of five years for the R&D department at Audemars Piguet to conceptualize and develop the new calibre. Nicolas Ponsot was in charge of the R&D team and had to overcome the challenges of balancing performance, ergonomics, and aesthetics in designing a groundbreaking new perpetual calendar movement.
“Our engineers dedicated 5 years to creating this horological feat, which offers new creative horizons, while blending technical complexity and simplicity of use.”—Nicolas Ponsot, Project Lead Industrial Development, R&D, Audemars Piguet.
Below we have two videos produced by Audemars Piguet that explain how adjustments are made via the winding crown in its three different positions. The first video shows what things look like on the dial side and the second video shows what’s happening inside the movement as the crown is manipulated.
Hopefully, this marks the comeback of Audemars Piguet into what real watchmaking is about, and rather than resourcing to celebrities or partnerships, they spend more time creating new calibres and new watch designs.
Sticker Price USD 109,300—for stainless steel. For more info on Audemars Piguet click here.
