Watch Paparazzi

Golfer Ian Poulter spotted wearing 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.