Golfer Ian Poulter spotted wearing a Audemars Piguet

Ian Poulter, professional golfer and one of the most publicly enthusiastic watch collectors in sport, was recently spotted wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar reference 26579CB — the all-white ceramic iteration of one of the most coveted complications in the Royal Oak family. The sighting is no surprise from a man whose wrist has hosted everything from Richard Mille rubber-strap racers to platinum dress watches, but the 26579CB is a statement even by Poulter's considerable standards.

The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar has been a cornerstone of the AP lineup since the 1980s, when the manufacture first grafted a perpetual calendar onto Gerald Genta's iconic octagonal bezel. The reference 26579CB updates that legacy with a 41mm case and integrated bracelet executed entirely in white ceramic — a material harder than steel and virtually scratch-resistant, yet extraordinarily difficult to machine to the tight tolerances that Royal Oak geometry demands. The blue Grande Tapisserie dial is a masterstroke of contrast: the same hand-guilloché hobnail pattern that has defined Royal Oak dials since 1972, here rendered in deep electric blue against the arctic case. Silver-toned subdials displaying day, date, month, and moon phase complete the layout with disciplined legibility.

Inside runs Calibre 5134, AP's self-winding perpetual calendar movement beating at 19,800 vph. The calendar mechanism requires no manual correction until the year 2100 — correctly accounting for century-year leap year exceptions — and the entire movement is finished to manufacture standards: bevelled bridges, côtes de Genève, and blued screws throughout.

From a collector standpoint, the 26579CB occupies a rare position. White ceramic Royal Oaks are produced in extremely limited numbers; the material's manufacturing attrition rate keeps supply tight. Perpetual calendars in any Royal Oak reference historically outperform standard-date variants on the secondary market, and the combination of complication, ceramic, and that blue dial gives this reference a profile that sits well above the already elevated Royal Oak baseline.

Poulter's relationship with Audemars Piguet is well documented, and the 26579CB is a logical centrepiece for any serious AP collection. UK list price sits at £98,000, placing it firmly in the upper tier of the Royal Oak range. Grey-market premiums on ceramic Royal Oak complications have remained resilient, and this reference is unlikely to disappoint buyers on either side of the transaction.