A replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual 25659 is a counterfeit copy of an early 1980s Royal Oak perpetual calendar. The case, dial, and bracelet can be imitated. The perpetual calendar movement cannot, and no known replica of this reference keeps a correct calendar past the first month or two.
What Is Reference 25659?
Reference 25659 belongs to the first generation of Royal Oak perpetual calendar watches that Audemars Piguet built in the 1980s. The line began with the 25654 in 1984, and early examples share the octagonal bezel, tapisserie dial, and integrated bracelet that define the Royal Oak.
What sets these watches apart from a standard Royal Oak is the dial. In place of a single date window, the face carries subdials for day, date, month, and moonphase, plus a leap year indicator.
Records for the 25659 are thinner than for the 25654. Collectors confirm details through auction catalogs, the Audemars Piguet archive, and service paperwork.
What Makes the Perpetual Calendar Hard to Copy?
A perpetual calendar is the part of this watch that no replica workshop has matched. The movement must know which months have 30 days, which have 31, and when February gains a 29th day in a leap year. That takes a module of more than 100 extra parts stacked on a base caliber.
Replica factories in China can clone a three-hand automatic movement without much trouble. Cloning a perpetual calendar module is a different problem. The gears, levers, and cams have to drive the base movement, and the dial has to show the result.
- Most replicas use a plain day and date movement and print the month and moonphase on the dial.
- Some add a bolt-on module that moves the date forward but never resets it at the end of a month.
- Moonphase subdials on replicas often run on a 24-hour disc that shows day and night instead of a lunar cycle.
You can test a watch in one minute. Set the calendar to February 28 on a non-leap year and let it run. A real perpetual calendar rolls to March 1. A replica stalls or jumps to February 29 on a year that has no 29th.
How Replica Royal Oak Perpetual 25659 Watches Are Built
Most copies start with a stainless steel or plated brass case shaped to the Royal Oak profile. The tapisserie pattern is stamped or printed rather than machined. Gold-tone versions use plating that wears through at the clasp and lugs.
Water resistance is a common weak point. A serviced example is sealed and pressure-tested. A replica is assembled without that step, so moisture and dust get in.
Prices for these copies sit in the low hundreds of dollars. That number tells you what the movement is.
Is Buying a Replica 25659 Legal in the United States?
No. Counterfeit watches are illegal to import into the United States, and trafficking in them is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 2320. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit shipments and destroys them.
Personal use is not a defense. Customs treats the counterfeit status of the goods as the issue, not the buyer's intent. A package that clears the border still leaves you with an item you cannot resell, insure, or service.
There is a practical problem too. Independent watchmakers will not service counterfeit movements, and replacement parts do not exist.
How Do You Spot a Fake Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar?
- Turn the watch over. An authentic example shows a finished movement with engraved caliber markings through a sapphire caseback.
- Test the calendar across a month end, as described above.
- Check the dial. Tapisserie squares sit in sharp relief, and the printing is clean under 10x magnification.
- Weigh the bracelet. Solid gold and steel feel dense. Plated brass does not.
- Ask for the archive extract from Audemars Piguet and any service records.
What Do Genuine Early Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars Cost?
Auction results for first-generation Royal Oak perpetual calendars start in the five-figure range and reach six figures for rare metals and clean examples. Condition, original papers, and service history drive the spread.
That gap is the reason the replica market exists. It also explains why the copies chase looks and skip the movement.
What Are the Alternatives?
If you want the look, several brands build octagonal steel sports watches with an integrated bracelet for a fraction of the price. Baume & Mercier, Maurice Lacroix, and Tissot all sell that shape.
If you want a real perpetual calendar, Frederique Constant builds one with an in-house movement for less than a tenth of what an early Royal Oak perpetual sells for. Buying a watch that works is cheaper than owning a watch that only looks like one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a replica 25659 have a real perpetual calendar?
No. No replica of this reference has been shown to run a true perpetual calendar. The function needs a mechanical module that copy makers do not produce.
Can I tell a replica from a 25654 or 25659 in photos?
Sometimes. Blurry seller photos hide dial printing and case finishing. Ask for a caseback shot, a movement shot, and a video of the calendar advancing at a month end.
Why are there so few 25659 examples on the market?
The first-generation line was built in small numbers compared with the standard Royal Oak, so examples surface at auction in bursts rather than as steady inventory.
Is a super clone 25659 worth the money?
Not for this reference. A super clone can look close in photographs, but the calendar is the feature you are paying for, and it is the feature that is missing.