In-Depth How Audemars Piguet's Code 11.59 Collection Continues To Evolve

There was a lot to take in that day, honestly too much to formulate an immediate coherent opinion. One of Swiss watchmaking's most prestigious and oldest marques had launched an entirely new collection agnostic to the Royal Oak, the company's flagship product. For better or worse, Audemars Piguet is the Royal Oak, and the Royal Oak is Audemars Piguet.

So if it's not a Royal Oak, then what exactly is the Code 11.59?

Three years after its difficult debut, it feels like the Code 11.59 collection is finally starting to find its groove. Here are three of the steps Audemars Piguet took to get there.

There's a reason AP launched Code 11.59 in so many different variants – it was to show off the flexibility of the case profile as a home for complications. Focusing on the three-hander was entirely missing the point, and by doing so, many people missed out on the biggest news of the Code 11.59 introduction (the development of a new in-house integrated automatic chronograph movement, the caliber 4400, AP's first in-house chronograph). Yes, it's AP's fault for including it in the initial batch, but it's understandable that it would have wanted to bring a more affordable execution to market.

Audemars Piguet has slowly rectified its early missteps. I can't remember the last time it brought a new three-hander Code 11.59 reference to market, while AP has continually experimented with new complications and new formats for existing complicated models. Just look at the big news I reported on earlier this week – AP released three different Code 11.59 models that are, in my opinion, some of the best-looking examples yet.

There's a pair of new flying tourbillon models, and they aren't just empty tourbillon-laden vessels, they feature details such as an inky dial made of solid onyx stone and aesthetic tweaks such as no applied numerals. Don't overlook the openworked model that highlights the insanely symmetrical movement architecture inside that's decorated to the highest standards. (And did I mention the insane shade of blue on the bridges? Yeah. I think that's pretty sweet.)

That same insane symmetry is found on the movement layout of the Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon Chronograph, a beast of a watch with a mirrored movement execution and flyback chronograph functionality.

There's no Code 11.59 Grande Sonnerie this time around (AP did that in 2020), but it's amazing how much more complete these watches look compared to the somewhat pedestrian lacquer dial finish found on the first batch of Code 11.59 watches. Yes, the Flying Tourbillon and Openworked Flying Tourbillon were both included in the initial batch of Code 11.59 models from 2019 (the Tourbillon Chronograph hybrid also joined the collection in 2020), but the execution has only improved in the past three years. I mean, c'mon, how can you not drool over the wild two-tone bridges and insane depth perspective in the Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon Chronograph? If it came out of some independent workshop in the Vallée de Joux, collectors would be politely lining up around the block.

All three of the new Code 11.59 references use an inner ceramic case in the shape of an octagon (Code 11.59's sole reference to the Royal Oak) encapsulated by an 18k white or pink gold lug cage. The result is aesthetically very interesting, resulting in an unexpected take on two-tone, through the application of the extra-hard inner ceramic case that protects the movement and the precious metal bezel, lugs, and caseback.

Two of the three new Code 11.59 watches that were released last week feature a black ceramic inner case, but the Flying Tourbillon Openworked has a bright blue ceramic inner case that is the result of the same blue ceramic process found in the blue-ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar that Danny went Hands-On with last week. Colored ceramic is quite a bit more difficult to achieve than black-and-white ceramic; it wasn't until the early 2010s that the sintering process was figured out to achieve colors such as blue, red, and green. Of course, these inner cases are hand-decorated, featuring satin-brushed central areas with polished chamfers.

Although AP does decorate the ceramic material itself, it works with a supplier to produce the material. (Which is no surprise – very, very few Swiss watch brands produce ceramic themselves. The only ones I'm aware of are Rolex and maybe Hublot.) AP works with a company called Bangerter which utilizes a proprietary process that combines zirconium oxide power with an undisclosed binding agent. The binding agent is removed before the start of the sintering process but after a five-axis CNC machine has shaped the unique octagonal shape of the inner case. The blue shade (and hardness) of the ceramic material eventually comes after it's been heated to approximately 1,400 degrees Celsius.

It seems, then, that Audemars Piguet and Bangerter are able to withstand the heat.

The choice of combining black ceramic and 18k pink gold to create a unique take on two-tone in the new Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon Chronograph also ended up being an aesthetic no-brainer. Unlike a more traditional approach to a two-tone design that might appear dated, the use of ultra-clean black ceramic surrounded by the precious metal exterior feels unexpectedly modern, enhancing the visual presence of both the skeletonized lugs and interior octagonal case.

It's not Audemars Piguet's first experience in the two-tone world – far from it. (Although, to be completely accurate to history, vintage two-tone, complicated Audemars Piguet timepieces were incredibly few and far between. It's said that a total of eight two-tone complicated watches were produced by Audemars Piguet between 1882 and 1969, three years before the Royal Oak's debut.) The first big Code 11.50 success story was actually a two-tone Openworked Tourbillon that AP donated to the Only Watch charity auction in 2019 and which eventually sold for an impressive one million Swiss francs, becoming one of the most expensive AP watches to ever sell at auction. The success of that unique piece definitely foreshadowed the latest Code 11.59 releases: All three models feature the two-tone, bi-material combination first deployed at Only Watch.

Today the Royal Oak is known for having a huge variety of aesthetic variants to choose from, but it took a few decades for the company to really start to experiment with the octagonal form factor and textured tapisserie dial finish. But there's been no delay in expanding the Code 11.59's purview to cast as wide a net as possible, all the way from the inky black minimalism present in the onyx-dial Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon to the electric-blue hue found on the bridges of the new Openworked Flying Tourbillon.

A lot can change in three years. Baselworld and SIHH still existed when Code 11.59 was born. There was no global pandemic to consider, and older, dated AP collections such as the Millenary and Jules Audemars were in the recent rearview mirror. I know I've changed a ton in the past three years, and though I hesitate to prescribe humanity to a watch brand, I think it's fair to think AP might have learned from the distracting issues of the original Code 11.59 launch and is now able to focus on its best qualities. 

After all, the Code 11.59 collection made such a big splash when it debuted, it's only fitting that its steady, gradual improvement falls under the radar.