New Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Models Continue the Line's Remarkable Turnaround

A lot of you may not remember (or may just not have cared about watches) when the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 debuted back in 2019. It was at what would be the last-ever edition of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, aka SIHH, that AP would launch its brand-new collection. The Code 11.59 was the story of the show and, according to internal data from SIHH, AP got more social media engagement that year than any other exhibiting brand. The response was a mixed bag, though. The case design and finish was undoubtedly excellent and genuinely novel but the dial designs were a letdown. Fast forward six years, and AP has totally turned this collection around by retaining what worked while taking feedback to heart and slowly iterating until nearly all the naysayers have come around to it.

There’s a lot of subtlety to be admired about the Code 11.59 case. The octagonal center case and skeletonized lugs made for a classic dress watch that somehow is built out of novel and contemporary design language. This year, we saw a few new Code 11.59 watches, with the hero piece being the new perpetual calendar outfitted with the also-new Caliber 7138, which represented a significant improvement over the outgoing Caliber 2120/2800-based QP movements that had been around for almost 50 years. I don’t want to get too deep in the weeds about Cal. 7138, but the big story here is the ease of use.

Typically most perpetual calendars require some correctors or pushers to adjust their indications, and those bring along the added risk of the “danger zone” around midnight, when the date-change mechanism is activated, during which an adjustment can break or damage the mechanism. The new 7138 enables all the adjustments to be made via the crown, and the movement has some protection for inadvertent screw-ups, as well.

The movement debuted in two new Royal Oaks and this Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar. Offered in a 41mm wide (and just 10.6mm thick) white-gold case, this Code has— you guessed it— an absolutely stunning take on a dial that was first introduced in 2023. Done in smoked blue PVD, the dial has embossed concentric circles that ripple out from the center and are made more dynamic by hundreds of small holes throughout, which are designed to add light and depth. The white-gold hands and hour markers make for some cool-toned contrast with good legibility, as well. The subdials have a darker blue outer ring for days of the week, month, and date, while the center of the subdials is snailed and reads out a 24-hour indicator (with the date-adjust “danger zone” in red but built-in protections that make it so day/month/leap year aren’t desynchronized) at 9 o’clock and leap-year indicator at 3 o’clock. Finally, there is the moon-phase at 6 o’clock with an aventurine sky and NASA-accurate depiction of the moon. This Ref. 26494BC.OO.D350KB.01 is priced at $109,300, which isn’t exactly accessible but, hey, we’re talking about a precious metal Perpetual Calendar from AP here.

This new model is a flyback chronograph that omits the usual date window seen on the standard version and also boasts baguette-diamond hour markers, making for a legitimate show-stopper. The 41mm wide and 12.6mm thick case is in white gold with a blue ceramic middle that just pops. From the caseback you see the Caliber 4409, which has a 70-hour power reserve. And finally, why not add a matching, blue-textured, rubber-coated strap with white-gold pin buckle to wrap the entire package together? This Code 11.59 Ref. 26439NB.OO.A346KB.01 is a special edition of 100 pieces with a price of $85,600. And worth every penny, in my opinion.

The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 had big expectations when it first launched (having the Royal Oak as an older sibling will do that). There isn’t a brand in the world that launches a new product that is perfect off the bat. There are, however, many brands that refuse to acknowledge market feedback and double down on a flawed design. Audemars Piguet deserves so much credit for honing and iterating on the Code 11.59 which has emerged as one of the most compelling dress watches on the market right now. You can learn more at audemarspiguet.com.