Audemars Piguet has spent the last six highly profitable years coming up with an antidote to its all-persuasive Royal Oak, the new line of CODE 11.59 watches is Audemars Piguet’s latest future-looking collection. It is the epitome of the trendsetter comfortable in its own skin, in a brave new world where the only thing constant is change.
If the name CODE 11.59 sounds pretty cool by itself, Audemars Piguet also uses it as an acronym to present the watch:
Challenge -Challenge the limits of craftsmanship
Own – Our roots and legacy
Dare – To follow firm convictions
Evolve – Never stand still
11.59 – The last minute before a new day
The new line marks a departure from the Royal Oak and reflects AP’s desire to create something genuinely new in the 21st century. Each of the six models is built around an entirely new 41mm case, with a thin round bezel to which the lugs are attached, an octagonal midsection with polished and brushed finishes, and a circular caseback, with just a sliver of space between it and the lugs.
Besides introducing a brand new automatic flying tourbillon, in addition to a self-winding open-worked tourbillon, minute-repeating supersonnerie and perpetual calendar, two new calibres have joined the AP family: a three-hand-with-date automatic and a flyback automatic chrono – the house’s first serially-produced integrated automatic chronograph movement.
Amongst the most notable features of the CODE 11.59 are the three newly developed calibres. The first two are more significant, being built on a new production line in Le Brassus. One is the cal. 4302, a 32mm automatic movement with a 70-hour power reserve. It is larger than the widely used, current in-house automatic cal. 3120, and also has a longer power reserve.
More crucial is the cal. 4401, the first in-house automatic chronograph movement by Audemars Piguet. It has an integrated chronograph mechanism with a column wheel and vertical clutch, as well as an instantaneous date and 70-hour power reserve. The third new movement is the cal. 2950, a flying tourbillon with automatic winding.
Self-winding
Deep blue lacquered dial in 41mm white gold case with display caseback, curved gold indexes and Arabic numerals. Driven by the new self-winding calibre 4302 that features a 22K gold oscillating weight; large diameter of 32mm (14 lignes), a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vph), and power reserve of 70 hours. Also available in pink gold case.
Self-winding Chronograph
Lacquered dial in pink gold or white gold 41mm case. New in-house calibre 4401 (14 lignes) column wheel chronograph with flyback function features instant-jump date indication, and 22K pink gold open-worked oscillating weight visible through the display caseback. Runs at 4Hz, with 70 hours of power reserve.
Perpetual Calendar
41mm pink gold case and speckled aventurine glass dial. Self-winding in-house calibre 5134 perpetual calendar featuring astronomical moon phase (accurate to 122 years) and week counter, with open-worked 22K gold oscillating weight visible through display caseback. Runs at 2.75 Hz, with 40 hours of power reserve.
Self-winding Flying Tourbillon
The gold dial here is covered with grand feu enamel. Calibre 2950 (14 lignes) is Audemars Piguet’s first self-winding movement to feature a central rotor and a flying tourbillon. At 3Hz, with 65 hours of power reserve. In pink or white gold 41mm case.
Tourbillon Openworked
Hand-wound, open-worked calibre 2948 tourbillon movement fabricated with dark rhodium German silver mainplate and PVD bridges contrasts richly with the 18K pink gold case, boasting no less than 70 hand-polished V angles. Running at 3Hz, with 80 hours of power reserve.
The collection is limited to just 2,000 total examples for 2019 but could come to represent as much as 20% of the company’s output over time. Discover Opulent Club on Apple News.