The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ref. 26574 is one of the most counterfeited watches in the brand's line. Fakes come in three grades: a printed-dial watch with three dead subdials, a mid-grade automatic with a copied case, and a high grade that copies the dial and bracelet but runs a modified ETA or Seagull movement. None of them use Calibre 5134. A short inspection of the dial functions, the case finishing and the movement behind the sapphire back separates genuine from fake in most cases.
What the genuine watch does
Ref. 26574ST.OO.1220ST.03 has a 41 mm steel case, 9.5 mm thick, and a blue Grande Tapisserie dial. Calibre 5134 measures 4.31 mm thick and carries a 40 hour power reserve. It shows day, date, month, leap year, moonphase and week of year. The week hand travels on the flange scale. The date jumps at midnight instead of creeping across the window.
Authorized dealer pricing for the steel reference sits in the high five figures USD. Secondary market prices sit above that.
Case and bracelet
- Eight hexagonal screws sit on the octagonal bezel. On genuine watches the flats of each screw line up with the bezel edge.
- Bevels are polished by hand and meet the brushed top surfaces at a sharp line. Fakes show rounded or uneven edges.
- Brushing runs in one direction and stops at the bevel.
- Bracelet links taper from the case to the clasp. Flanks are polished, tops are brushed. Fakes often polish the whole link.
- Caseback engraving is deep and crisp. Check the reference, the serial, the metal stamp and the Swiss Made mark. Compare the font against a photo from the brand.
- Weight varies with bracelet length. Put the watch on a scale beside a known genuine example.
Dial and subdials
- Grande Tapisserie squares are cut by a stamp from AP tooling. The pattern is raised, aligned with the subdials, and matte at the base with polished tops. Fakes print the pattern or cut it shallow and off center.
- Subdials sit at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. Fonts are thin. Thick or crowded printing is a fake sign.
- The moonphase disc carries a correct moon image and stars. Fakes use a generic disc.
- The outer week scale is printed, not applied. The center hand has to move with the date.
Movement checks
- Calibre 5134 has a gold rotor, Cotes de Geneve on the bridges and circular graining on the mainplate. The rotor carries the AP coat of arms and the movement number.
- The balance is free sprung with a variable inertia weight. A regulator arm with a hairspring stud points to a stock movement.
- The leap year indicator must step once per year. Many fakes freeze after four years or never move.
- The genuine moonphase gear tracks the lunar cycle to one day in 122 years. Fake moonphase discs run off the hour wheel.
- Watch the date change. Genuine movements snap. Fakes drag over several hours.
Paperwork and price
Counterfeit sellers list prices far under market. A steel Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar sells above retail on the secondary market, so a low price is a signal. Real watches come with the box, the certificate, the warranty card and service records. Ask for the serial and call a boutique to confirm it. AP keeps service records tied to the serial.
Quick checklist
- Do all four calendar functions move, including leap year?
- Does the date snap at midnight?
- Do the bezel screw flats line up?
- Is the Tapisserie pattern raised and aligned?
- Does the movement show AP finishing and a gold rotor?
- Does the price sit at or above retail?
No checklist replaces an in-person inspection by a watchmaker who has opened a 5134. Counterfeiters improve each year, and a photo cannot show hairspring type or gear finish. If a seller refuses a movement inspection, that answer is enough.