The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26574BC: A Qatar Edition in White Gold
Table of Contents
Watch the full unboxing
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in reference 26574BC is one of the more unusual white gold Royal Oaks we get to handle. It carries a deep burgundy dial made for Audemars Piguet's Middle East clients, a color tied to Qatar's national maroon. Everything else is classic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar: a 41mm 18-karat white gold case, the octagonal bezel with its eight hexagonal screws, and a full perpetual calendar reading day, date, month, leap year, moon phase, and week. We shot this one for an unboxing, and here is a closer look at the watch, the movement, and what it takes to find one.
The 26574BC out of its case, dial fully open to the light.
A Qatar Boutique Edition
Audemars Piguet built this burgundy-dial Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar for its boutiques in Qatar and the wider Middle East. The maroon dial references the Qatari flag, and the edition was made in small numbers for clients in the region. That regional distribution is why they rarely turn up in the US. We do not see many of them, and when one comes through it does not sit around long. It arrives in the full Audemars Piguet presentation set, and this example also includes two extra rubber straps, black and burgundy, alongside the white gold bracelet.
The watch in its full Audemars Piguet presentation box.
The Burgundy Dial and Perpetual Calendar
The dial is the reason this reference exists. It is finished in Audemars Piguet's Grande Tapisserie pattern, the small waffle guilloché the Royal Oak is known for, and it shifts between deep crimson and darker wine depending on the light. White gold applied markers and hands sit on top, with a blue moon phase disc at 6 o'clock.
The layout follows the standard Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. The month and leap-year indication sit at 12 o'clock, the day of the week at 9, the date at 3, and the moon phase at 6. A week-of-the-year scale runs around the outer edge, numbered 1 through 52. A perpetual calendar tracks the different lengths of the months and the leap-year cycle on its own, so it does not need a manual correction until the year 2100.
Day at 9, month and leap year at 12, date at 3, moon phase at 6, with the week scale on the flange.
White Gold Case, Bezel, and Bracelet
The case is 41mm across and 9.5mm thick in 18-karat white gold. It has the finishing the Royal Oak is built on: brushed top surfaces, mirror-polished bevels down the case sides, and the octagonal bezel held by eight white gold hexagonal screws. Water resistance is 20 meters.
The octagonal bezel and its eight signature hexagonal screws.
From the side you can see how thin the case stays for a perpetual calendar. The polished bevel catches light against the brushed flanks.
Only 9.5mm thick, slim for a perpetual calendar.
The integrated bracelet is also 18-karat white gold, with brushed links, polished chamfers between them, and the AP folding clasp. Because it is solid white gold rather than steel, it carries real weight.
Brushed and polished white gold links, closed by the AP folding clasp.
Weight and Wearability
On our scale the watch came in at about 258 grams on the white gold bracelet, a little over half a pound. Solid gold does that. On the wrist it reads as substantial without feeling clumsy, and the slim case keeps it sitting flat under a cuff. At 41mm the proportions land in the middle of the modern Royal Oak range, large enough to read the calendar clearly, not so large that it takes over.
On the scale: about 258 grams of solid white gold.
The burgundy dial on the wrist, where it reads darker than it does under studio light.
Inside the Calibre 5134
Through the sapphire caseback you can see the Calibre 5134, the self-winding perpetual calendar movement Audemars Piguet used for the 41mm Royal Oak. It runs at a little under 20,000 vibrations per hour, holds roughly 40 hours of power reserve, and is built from 374 parts. At 4.3mm thick, it is a big reason the case can stay as slim as it does.
The finishing is what you look at here: Côtes de Genève striping across the bridges, perlage in the recesses, and a 22-karat gold rotor engraved with the AP signature. The caseback ring is engraved Royal Oak and Quantième Perpétuel, and marked Au750 for the 18-karat gold case.
The Calibre 5134 and its 22-karat gold rotor through the sapphire back.
Availability and Price
Because Audemars Piguet sold this edition through Middle East boutiques, the way to buy one in the US is the secondary market, which is the market we work in every day. We have this 26574BC listed at $270,000. A standard white gold Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is easier to find; a burgundy Qatar-dial example is not, and the small production for the region is what separates the two. If you want to see it in person or talk through the details, reach out.
A complication watch that still wears like an everyday Royal Oak.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the 26574BC a Qatar edition?
Audemars Piguet made this burgundy-dial Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar for its boutiques in Qatar and the Middle East. The maroon dial color references the Qatari flag. It was produced in small numbers for the region, which is why the burgundy version is far harder to find than the standard white gold reference.
What movement is in the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26574?
It uses the Audemars Piguet Calibre 5134, a self-winding perpetual calendar movement with 374 parts, about 40 hours of power reserve, and a thickness of 4.3mm. You can see it through the sapphire caseback, including the Côtes de Genève finishing and the 22-karat gold rotor.
How big and heavy is it?
The case measures 41mm wide and 9.5mm thick in 18-karat white gold, with 20 meters of water resistance. On our scale the watch weighed about 258 grams on the white gold bracelet, a little over half a pound, which is typical for a solid gold sports watch.
How much does the 26574BC cost?
We have this burgundy Qatar edition listed at $270,000. The standard white gold Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar trades for less, but the regional burgundy dial was made in small numbers, so clean examples in the US are scarce and priced accordingly.