REVOLUTION_International_Vol 56

New Colour Code
AUDEMARS PIGUET’S NEW
COLOR CODE
The new Audemars Piguet CODE 11.59 takes the technical
innovation and case styling from the launch models and adds a colorful
twist and finish as a firm response to mixed initial feedback last year.
Words Ross Povey
The CODE 11.59
now comes in five
colorways with a
beautiful smoked
lacquer finish.
AUDEMARS PIGUET
CODE 11.59 SELFWINDING 41MM
MOVEMENT Selfwinding AP
manufacture 4302 caliber; hours,
minutes, seconds; date; 70-hour
power reserve
CASE White gold, rose gold, rose
gold case middle with white gold
top and bottom; 41mm; gradient
lacquer dials in five colorways;
water-resistant to 30m
STRAP Leather in colors matching
the dial
PRICE USD26,800
It’s a commonly accepted fact amongst fans of the
Star Wars saga that The Empire Strikes Back was
superior to the original Star Wars: A New Hope.So
too is the second act of CODE 11.59, as the range
finally steps out of the long shadows cast by its iconic
big brother, the Royal Oak. We take a look at the
newest iterations that have more than just good looks.
But then, it has to be said, these watches are indeed
very good-looking!
IN THE BEGINNING
It would be difficult to write about the launch of the
CODE 11.59 without making some comment on the
fact that it received an initial welcome that, on a good
day, might be seen as lukewarm. One of the biggest
criticisms of the launch collection was aimed at the
dials that were in the original models. Being the
giant of the industry that it is, instead of retreating
into its cave, fingers in ears and pretending it never
happened, Audemars Piguet has done the sensible
thing in the face of such a backlash. AP has taken the
feedback on the chin and given the watches a facelift.
And what a facelift it is, with beautiful new dials and
the addition of two-tone gold cases to add another
dimension to the freshly rejuvenated range.
With the 2019 launch, one element that could not
be argued with were the incredible new movements.
The CODE 11.59 housed newly developed calibers that
took a huge amount of time, effort and perseverance to
ensure they met the lofty expectations of the maison.
The chronographs are driven by the in-house caliber
4401 with column clutch and flyback chronograph
feature. AP worked hard to make as much of this new
caliber’s workings as visible as possible, including the
usually obscured column wheel and the ‘dance’ of the
hammers when the mechanism is reset. The 22K gold
rotor has been made in openworked form to extend
the viewing opportunities of AP’s latest mechanical
marvel. The vertical clutch is important to stop any hand
jumping when the chronograph is stopped and started,
and there is even a patented zero-setting mechanism
that ensures the perfect reset to zero. Fully integrated
and fully in-house, this is certainly an achievement
that all at AP are quite rightfully proud of. Audemars
Piguet has an illustrious history of producing highend
complications and so fans of the brand had been
waiting for a new in-house complication, and they were
certainly not disappointed with the proffered engine.
REIMAGINED FUTURE
When Audemars Piguet decided to create an entirely
new concept in the CODE, the octagonal bezel of
the Royal Oak and the Offshore is a design cue it felt
strongly about referencing in the collection. Just as
Tudor tips its hat to its vintage Submariner line with the
‘snowflake’ hands on the Black Bay, so too AP is paying
its eight-sided respects to its greatest achievement to
date. The mid-case is octagonal in construction and
yet they’ve hidden this nod partially from plain sight by
obscuring it with the round bezel and caseback. Literally
a mark of the brand, depending on what angle you look at
it! The ‘house shape’ is also referenced in the lug screws,
which echo the bezel screws on the Royal Oak.
One of the most innovative and interesting aspects
to the CODE case are the lugs, which are attached
to the bezel and then sit against the caseback. These
suspended lugs are actually unattached to the caseback,
as doing so would have made it impossible to remove
the back to access the movement for regulating and
servicing. The lugs are, like the movement rotor,
openworked, which, to this writer’s eyes, gives the watch
a very contemporary look that screams 21st century.
DIALS TO DYE FOR
The new dials are refined and about as elegant as you
could hope for, so I believe the CODE has shown its
hand. These dials are beautiful…really beautiful. A
smoked lacquer finish emboldens sunburst effects in
blue, burgundy and purple, and two shades of grey —
light and dark. The ‘Refined Intensity’ is a sunburst
burgundy and is paired with a white-gold case. I like
white gold for its under-the-radar look that to the
untrained eye could be a simple steel watch, yet the
heft on the wrist is reassuringly gold. ‘Ocean Deep’
does what it says on the tin with a stunning run through
every possible shade of blue from the blackest navy
through to vibrant royal blue. Paired with pink gold, this
a serious-looking watch and not so politely demands
your attention. ‘Uncompromisingly Purple’ is the third
color and is sultry and smoky and works particularly
well against the pink-gold case. The refinement also
continues in the cases.
According to Audemars Piguet, the house has
seldom produced two-tone gold cases. In fact, only
eight models have been produced in this combination
since the genesis of the brand in 1882 and less than eight
in pink- and white-gold livery. The watches are set up
with pink-gold mid-cases sandwiched between whitegold
casebacks and bezels. The signature attached lugs
are also in white gold. The octagonal mid-cases are even
more noticeable in the bi-color cases and, as you would
expect, the finishing is first rate.
The beautiful two-tone,
with the pink-gold
mid-case sandwiched
between the white-gold
caseback and bezel.
AUDEMARS PIGUET
CODE 11.59 Selfwinding
Chronograph
MOVEMENT Selfwinding AP
manufacture 4401 caliber;
hours, minutes, seconds; date;
chronograph; 70-hour power
reserve
CASE White gold, rose gold, rose
gold case middle with white gold
top and bottom; 41mm; gradient
lacquer dials in five colorways;
water-resistant to 30m
STRAP Leather in colors matching
the dial
PRICE USD42,400
36 PRIME TIME
PRIME TIME 37
36-37 USA Prime Time - AP Code #2.indd 36 19/8/20 1:59 PM
RM57539_Issue103_036
113317 Wed, Aug 19, 2020
36-37 USA Prime Time - AP Code #2.indd 37 19/8/20 2:00 PM
RM57539_Issue103_037
113319 Wed, Aug 19, 2020