Short answer
"Fake Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar 26574" names a copy of a 41mm Royal Oak with a full calendar. Most copies miss three things: the calendar mechanism, the dial pattern, and the case and bracelet finish. Under US law, buying, selling, or importing one carries civil and criminal exposure.
The real reference 26574
Audemars Piguet ref. 26574 is a Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. The stainless steel version, 26574ST.OO.1220ST.01, measures 41mm across and about 9.5mm thick. It runs calibre 5134, an automatic movement with a 40-hour power reserve. That calibre drives a date, day, month, moon phase, leap year indicator, and a week-of-year subdial. The dial uses the Grande Tapisserie pattern: a grid of small raised squares, each with a bevel on its top face.
The movement is thin. The base, calibre 2120, has been in production since 1967. The rotor is gold. The bridges carry Cotes de Geneve stripes, circular graining, polished chamfers, and bead-blasted surfaces.
Where copies fail
- Calendar logic. A true perpetual calendar handles February 29 and the century rule. Most copies use a date disc and a printed leap year window. The date snaps at midnight instead of rolling through the change.
- Case thickness. A stock automatic movement plus a calendar module is thicker than calibre 5134. The case back sits proud of the case band.
- Dial. The Grande Tapisserie squares on copies are wider or deeper, and the top faces are unpolished. Date fonts are heavy. The moon phase disc shows a sun or a printed image.
- Bracelet. Royal Oak links are chamfered on four faces. Copies show flat edges and uneven gaps at the clasp.
- Case back. The sapphire back on the real watch shows the movement. Copies show a rotor with an engraved logo and stamped bridges.
How to verify a 26574
- Get the case serial and the movement number. Audemars Piguet issues an Extract from the Archives that confirms the reference, dial, and delivery date.
- Have an independent watchmaker open the case. The watchmaker can read the calibre number and inspect the calendar module.
- Check the case band for recessed correctors, not pushers. The 26574 sets the calendar with a pin tool through the case side.
- Inspect the dial print with a loupe. The AP monogram and the signature use specific fonts. Copies drift on letter spacing.
- Weigh the watch. The factory figure for the steel model is 9.5mm thick on a full bracelet. Ask the seller for a scale reading.
Legal exposure in the US
Trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 2320. A first offense carries up to 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine for an individual. US Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit watches at the border. The $800 duty-free personal exemption does not cover counterfeit items. A buyer also faces civil claims from the trademark owner under the Lanham Act.
Audemars Piguet service centers do not service counterfeit watches. Owners cannot register them. The watches hold no value on the legitimate resale market.
What copies sell for
Replica listings for the 26574 run from a few hundred dollars to about $1,000 USD. None contain a true perpetual calendar movement. A modular calendar at that price cannot track leap years or the century rule.