Audemars Piguet’s first 2026 releases: stone, skeletons, and a push toward “liveable” complications

Jason Lee

Audemars Piguet’s story still feels inseparable from its home: founded in 1875 in Le Brassus, the manufacture has built a reputation on staying independent and playing the long game—especially when it comes to complications and craft. Yet the modern image of the brand is defined by one design disruption: the Royal Oak, designed by Gérald Genta in 1972, which reframed steel as a luxury proposition through finishing, form, and an integrated-bracelet silhouette.

But there’s more to AP than just the Royal Oak. Underneath that pop-cultural shorthand, there’s a deep “mechanics-first” lineage. For example, AP created the world’s first minute repeater wristwatch in 1892 for Louis Brandt & Frère (which would later be called Omega), and also created one of the first jump hour wristwatches, which one of this month’s key releases reminds us of.

Indeed, AP’s 2026 “first semester” releases (the Le Brassus brand loves to drop a whole bunch of watches on us at the start of the year) read like a cross-section of that identity, starting with colour and natural materials used with intent rather than as novelty. New yellow-gold Royal Oak Selfwinding references in 37 mm and 41 mm lean into stone-dial individuality via malachite’s banded patterning, while the 23 mm Royal Oak Mini pushes further into jewellery-watch territory with black onyx and extra-white mother-of-pearl. On the sportier side, the Royal Oak Offshore expands with vivid-accent Diver variations and two new 43 mm chronographs built around ceramic/titanium contrast.

The technical thread is the idea that high complication should be easier to live with. A new openworked perpetual calendar calibre (7139) arrives with an all-in-one crown correction approach and lands in both the Code 11.59 and Royal Oak, while the Royal Oak QP in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” ceramic reinforces the same ergonomic direction via Calibre 7138. The Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm also enters a new era with an in-house movement (Calibre 6401) and a sapphire caseback, alongside additional Royal Oak openworked pieces that continue the brand’s current taste for tone-on-tone integration from case to movement.

Sitting above it all is the 150 Heritage pocket watch—built around the ultra-complicated Calibre 1150 and introducing a Universal Calendar designed to visualise multiple celestial cycles and cultural time systems from the caseback—while pieces like the Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon with its ivory signature dial round out the year’s range from dial craft to user-focused mechanics. Who said AP was nothing but Royal Oaks? Read on for information on each of AP’s 2026 first-semester novelties in detail.

Neo Frame Jumping Hour (Calibre 7122)

Let’s start with perhaps the most surprising release of this lot. AP’s new Neo Frame Jumping Hour is a rectangular, Streamline Moderne-inspired watch that shifts the conversation from familiar dial furniture to pure display design: time is read through two apertures, with a jumping hour and trailing minutes.

The 47.1 mm × 34 mm pink-gold case is defined by eight vertical gadroons on each flank—echoed on the caseback, crown, and even the oscillating weight—while a black PVD-treated sapphire dial/crystal brings a contemporary two-tone look and, crucially, drives an unusual construction. Because there’s no metal framing at 12 and 6 o’clock, AP bonds the dial plate to the sapphire and screws the assembly into the case to achieve 20m water resistance.

Inside is the debut of Calibre 7122, the brand’s first self-winding jumping-hour movement (52 hours, 4 Hz), based on Calibre 7121 and reinforced by a patented shock-absorbing system designed to prevent accidental hour jumps—helped along by a titanium hour disc and aluminium minute disc.

Calibre 7139: a new generation of openworked perpetual calendars (Code 11.59 + Royal Oak)

The most strategic release of this bunch is the debut of the Calibre 7139: AP’s new in-house self-winding perpetual calendar openworked movement, built around the brand’s all-in-one crown correction system introduced last year. The point is usability: four crown positions manage winding, time-setting, and all calendar adjustments without tools — and AP also adds a red no-correction zone between 21:00 and 03:00 as a clear user-facing warning.

Calibre 7139 debuts in two 41 mm watches with sapphire dials: the first openworked perpetual calendar in a Code 11.59, sporting a white-gold/black-ceramic case on a black alligator strap, and an openworked Royal Oak perpetual calendar in titanium with a Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) bezel, caseback and bracelet studs. AP leans on BMG’s reflective sheen and wear resistance to justify its role as a “highlight” material against titanium’s satin surfaces: AP also used a combination of BMG and titanium for the RD#5. The calendar display is reorganised for legibility (day at 9, date at 12, month at 3), with week numbers now starting at “1” at 12 o’clock.

Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm: new in-house Calibre 6401 (three references)

Here’s another new movement, this time, a chronograph movement. The Calibre 6401 is a new self-winding chronograph movement developed in-house over five years, created to replace the long-running Calibre 2385 (which AP notes has been in use since 1997). It remains an integrated column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch, but AP adds a patented clutch mechanism designed to simplify the architecture, reduce play, and require less pressure on the pushers.

Two visible changes follow. First, every 38 mm model gets a sapphire caseback — a first for the Royal Oak Chronograph in this size — making finishing and architecture part of the wearing experience. Second, the dial layout is rebalanced: the minute counter moves to 9 o’clock and the hour counter to 3 o’clock, while the date shifts to a more centred position between 4 and 5. Power reserve is 55 hours, frequency 4 Hz, and AP states the watch keeps its compact 38 mm proportions while accommodating the new calibre.

Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 41 mm in full “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” ceramic (Calibre 7138)

If the Calibre 7139 is the skeletonised “inside-out” perpetual calendar, this is the “outside-in” statement: a Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Selfwinding in 41 mm, fully executed in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” ceramic, paired with Calibre 7138. AP frames it as the convergence of two 2025 innovations — the colour-accurate ceramic and the all-in-one crown adjustment system — and the emphasis is again on ergonomics. The crown-based setting system is protected by two patents and aims to remove the need for tools while reducing risk during corrections.

Aesthetically, the watch leans on finishing rather than contrast: polished and satin-brushed ceramic surfaces are used to keep the Royal Oak’s sharp geometry readable in a deep, uniform colour. The dial is a blue Grande Tapisserie with blue counters and a blue inner bezel, matched to white-gold hour markers and lumed hands for clarity. A titanium and sapphire caseback frames the movement view while keeping overall weight down.

Two new Royal Oak Openworked “tone-on-tone” models (Jumbo 39 + DBWO 37)

AP pushes the “case-to-movement” monochrome idea with two Royal Oak Openworked models that approach the look from opposite ends of the spectrum. The 39 mm Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked again pairs titanium with BMG for bezel and caseback, leaning on the material contrast (and BMG’s scratch resistance and brightness) while keeping the watch light. Inside is the rhodium-toned openworked Calibre 7124, with blackened hour markers and hands to keep legibility against the skeletonised architecture.

The second watch is warmer and more uniform: the 37 mm Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked is entirely in 18-carat yellow gold, including a gold-toned openworked Calibre 3132. The technical hook is the patented double balance wheel mechanism (introduced by AP in 2016), positioned as improving precision and stability. A sapphire caseback shows the matching golden oscillating weight to complete the monochrome intent.

150 Heritage pocket watch: Calibre 1150 + Universal Calendar (two unique platinum pieces)

The centrepiece of this month’s releases is the 150 Heritage pocket watch — positioned as a new kind of ultra-complicated watch meant to be used in a pocket, not adapted from a wristwatch format. At its core is Calibre 1150, a hand-wound movement built on the architecture of Calibre 1000, rethought to suit pocket-watch ergonomics and controls. AP cites 47 functions (including 30 complications and 17 technical devices), with highlights including a grande/petite sonnerie supersonnerie, minute repeater, flying tourbillon, semi-Gregorian perpetual calendar, and a split-seconds flyback chronograph.

The new idea is the Universal Calendar, visible from the caseback and independent of the movement: a mechanical “calculator” that layers solar, lunar and lunisolar cycles into a panoramic display, including nine cultural celebrations, adjustable via a bidirectional wheel and synchronised from 1900–2099. The execution leans heavily on métiers d’art: a hand-engraved platinum case, blue translucent grand feu enamel dial, and a handmade platinum chain. Limited to two one-of-a-kind platinum editions.

Royal Oak Mini (23 mm quartz): black onyx and mother-of-pearl

From the most complex to the least complex… The extremely hype-worthy Royal Oak Mini line expands with two 23 mm quartz references that place stone front and centre by moving away from the frosted gold finishing of earlier editions. The first is the most graphic: a mirror-polished black onyx dial set against an 18-carat pink-gold case and bracelet, with brilliant-cut diamond hour markers providing the contrast the stone refuses to supply on its own. The second uses an extra-white mother-of-pearl dial in an 18-carat yellow-gold case and bracelet — a combination that AP explicitly frames as a return to a classic Royal Oak jewellery-watch language, but with a brighter, more iridescent dial personality.

Both are powered by the quartz Calibre 2730, with AP emphasising longevity (94 months battery life) and a switch function to deactivate the battery when not in use. The watches keep the Royal Oak’s alternating brushed and polished surfaces, which matters here: when the dial is essentially a gemstone slice, the case finishing becomes the “texture” in the design.

Royal Oak Selfwinding in yellow gold with malachite dials (37 mm + 41 mm)

AP also extends its hardstone dial story with two Royal Oak Selfwinding models in 18-carat yellow gold, offered in 37 mm and 41 mm, each fitted with a polished malachite dial. Malachite’s appeal is built into the material itself: the dial’s banding is formed during crystallisation, and the depth of green can vary with copper content — meaning two examples won’t look identical in the light. The dials are paired with applied yellow-gold markers and lumed Royal Oak hands to keep the stone from becoming purely decorative.

Mechanically, AP keeps it straightforward: the 37 mm runs the self-winding Calibre 5909 (60-hour power reserve), while the 41 mm uses the self-winding Calibre 4309 (70 hours). Both remain 50 m water resistant, reinforcing that these aren’t “fragile” stone-dial novelties, but full Royal Oak wearers’ pieces.

Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding 38 mm

Audemars Piguet is adding two new takes on the Code 11.59 Selfwinding 38 mm: both in 18-carat pink gold, and both built around dial-and-strap contrast rather than a mechanical reset. One leans into a fully dark palette with a black dial, black inner bezel, and black alligator strap; the other goes lighter with a silver-toned dial and matching inner bezel, paired to a newly introduced brown calfskin strap with white stitching.

On both, the brand keeps the 38 mm format launched in 2023, using the collection’s concentric “ripple” motif dial texture and pink-gold applied hardware with lumed hands to maintain legibility. Power comes from the self-winding Calibre 5900 which offers 60 hours of reserve at 4 Hz and is visible through a sapphire caseback with a 22-carat pink-gold rotor. The case remains 9.6 mm thick and rated to 30 m.

Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon 41: ivory “signature” dial

This Code 11.59 release is more about dial craft and contrast than a new mechanical headline. The 41 mm case pairs an 18-carat white-gold bezel, lugs and caseback with a black ceramic mid-case, while the dial switches to an ivory tone finished with the collection’s “signature” pattern: concentric circles engraved by hand and then enhanced via PVD colouring, developed with guilloché artisan Yann von Kaenel. The effect is deliberately subtle — depth and shimmer rather than colour saturation — and it’s framed by an ivory inner bezel and a darker outer perimeter that echoes the ceramic case middle.

Inside is the self-winding Calibre 2950 (65-hour power reserve, 3 Hz), with a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock, visible from both dial and sapphire caseback. Pink-gold hands and hour markers lift the warmth of the ivory dial, while a black alligator strap keeps the overall look grounded.

Royal Oak Offshore Diver 42 mm: three new colour accents

AP refreshes the 42 mm Offshore Diver (the 2021-generation platform) with three “pop” colour-led variations, all in stainless steel with two black ceramic crowns and 300 m water resistance. The shared base is familiar: a Méga Tapisserie dial and the collection’s quick-change strap approach via interchangeable rubber straps.

Two references keep a black dial and use a luminous 0–15-minute zone as the main colour callout: one in pink paired to a white strap, the other in turquoise paired to a matching turquoise strap. The third shifts to a deep teal Méga Tapisserie dial, with a white luminous 0–15-minute zone and matching teal strap — a slightly moodier take that still reads “summer” thanks to the crisp contrast around the dive scale. All three keep a date window at 3 o’clock. Power comes from the self-winding Calibre 4308 (60-hour power reserve, 4 Hz), keeping the focus on robustness rather than complication.

Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43 mm: two new “creative designs”

Finally, we have two new 43 mm Offshore chronographs that use material contrast as the main design tool and are both powered by the Calibre 4401 (integrated flyback chronograph, in the collection since 2021). The first is a full “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” ceramic case with titanium details and guards, paired with a beige Méga Tapisserie dial and “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” counters — a deliberate high/low pairing that reads like sand and deep water. It comes on an interchangeable textured calfskin strap in the same dark blue tone.

The second is more overtly technical: a titanium case with a black ceramic bezel, pushers and crown, matched to a smoked green PVD Méga Tapisserie dial with black counters and beige zones intended to improve legibility. The strap is an interchangeable grey-green rubber number, reinforcing the utilitarian angle. Both are 100 m water resistant, 14.4 mm thick, and show the blackened oscillating weight through a sapphire caseback — with AP stressing that ceramic and titanium components receive finishing attention comparable to precious metals.

Closing thoughts

Across these releases, AP’s “two-track” thinking is hard to miss: it’s pushing material identity and colour at the surface, while also refining how complicated watches behave in real use — crown-based corrections, clearer displays, and movements that invite inspection through sapphire backs. It’s less one blockbuster launch than a set of deliberate moves across the catalogue, from 23 mm quartz to pocket-watch extremity.