Audemars Piguet: Inheriting Technical Assets and Evolution "CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet"

After an extremely long development period, the CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet was unveiled in 2019. Its innovative styling, unlike anything seen before in Audemars Piguet, caused an immediate allergic reaction, but it quickly established itself as a new icon symbolizing the contemporary side of Audemars Piguet. In its third season, 2021, new pieces were added to fill in the missing links, completing the all-round lineup.

Completed all-round deployment
A contemporary stronghold

　CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet (hereinafter CODE 11.59) is now in its third season since its initial launch in 2019. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has raged for nearly two years and still shows no signs of fully subsiding, the fact that this new icon, the first to appear in a long time across the Swiss watch industry, has quickly established market recognition was a major event in itself. CODE 11.59 has now grown to become one of the three pillars of the brand, alongside the Royal Oak, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022, and the Royal Oak Offshore, which underwent a full redesign in 2021.

　In particular, in 2021, new models were added to the lineup, marking the conclusion of the initial collection, completing an "all-round development" that continues into the high street. Here, we would like to look back on the early days of CODE 11.59 over the past three years and take an overview of the current expanded lineup.

　The development of the CODE 11.59 dates back to the development of a next-generation core movement, the basic design of which began in October 2012. The simultaneous development of the three-hand automatic movement "Caliber 4302," which replaces the Caliber 3120, which has undergone refinement since 2003, and the integrated automatic chronograph "Caliber 4401," the company's first mass-produced movement manufactured in the thousands, resulted in the simultaneous development of the two movements. By enlarging the movement size to 14 lignes, both movements have significantly improved their fundamental strength, and are now considered modern-spec workhorses found in various Audemars Piguet models. Further performance improvements have been incorporated, including an extended power reserve (from approximately 60 hours to approximately 70 hours) thanks to an expanded barrel diameter and an increased frequency (from 21,600 vph to 28,800 vph).

　The key to this was the adoption of a mainspring with approximately 2.5 times the torque of the 3120, which increased the moment of inertia of the balance wheel, which is crucial for accuracy, from 4.5 mg/cm2 in the 3120 era to 12.5 mg/cm2. The balance wheel's swing-off over time after being fully wound is also minimal, and simply put, it has been reborn as a much more powerful watch. The CODE 11.59 was the first collection to feature all of these new-generation, high-performance movements, and it clearly signaled a generational change.

　This concept of "generational change" is an important keyword in understanding the CODE 11.59, which was released shortly after its initial launch. The design work, which began around 16, extracted iconic details from Audemars Piguet's archives and skillfully transformed them, creating a modern new icon that, despite being a completely unprecedented design, strongly embodies Audemars Piguet's DNA. The design method, which emphasizes learning from the past and creating something new, is similar to that of the "Remaster 01 Audemars Piguet Chronograph" released in 20. However, while the latter faithfully traced the form of the museum piece while adding modern touches, the CODE 11.59's major feature is that it aimed for a completely new styling.

　In 2019, the launch year, the entire lineup, including the four complications, was presented in 18K gold cases and alligator straps. According to interview notes from that time, the main target of the CODE 11.59 was "a generation that had never heard of Audemars Piguet before." Simply put, the initial mission was to appeal to the newly wealthy, but it is interesting to note that the watch has since expanded its support base to include avid watch enthusiasts who initially had a mild allergic reaction to it.

　In 2019, the brand announced that it would "add more playfulness next season," and for the second season in 2020, it added a two-tone gold case (first seen in the 2019 Only Watch collection) and a smoked lacquer dial in five colors, dramatically expanding the range of variations. At the same time, from this year onward, the CODE 11.59 also assumed the role of a hub for new technologies and innovations, a role previously held by the Royal Oak Concept. This does not only apply to the two core movements mentioned above; the complex movements and smoked lacquer dials first featured in the CODE 11.59 have also been spreading to other Audemars Piguet models. It appears that a pattern is being established in which Audemars Piguet's DNA, coded from each generation, is first concentrated in the CODE 11.59 and then spreads to each collection.

　The CODE 11.59 with its colorful smoke cracker dial dominated the market in 20, the same year the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest. It was also the year the CODE 11.59 achieved market recognition far beyond initial expectations. It seems that at this stage, Audemars Piguet's development team underwent some kind of change of direction. Indeed, the new model released for the 21 season replaced the traditional alligator strap with a rubber strap with a canvas-like surface finish, clearly emphasizing a more lifestyle-conscious approach. This rubber strap is also available separately, allowing existing users to enjoy the watch interchangeably.

　The new black ceramic case band is a strong indication of the CODE 11.59's lifestyle appeal. Now in its third season, this is the first time that a material other than gold has been used for the CODE 11.59.

　The CODE 11.59 bezel features a gentle arc that follows the curve of the crystal. The caseband that is paired with it must have the exact same curvature, which is no easy feat. While fine ceramic sintering technology has advanced to the point where the shrinkage rate of the base material can be controlled with considerable precision, it is still extremely difficult to match the curvature to other parts. Audemars Piguet chose the method of machining, and formed a new technical partnership with Bangerter. Like Audemars Piguet, this family-run Swiss company specializes in high-precision machining of ultra-hard materials such as tungsten.

　The 21 season, which saw the major renewal of the Royal Oak Offshore, saw a smaller number of new releases for CODE 11.59 alone. However, each one is undoubtedly an important piece that fills in the missing link of the previous collection. Now that CODE 11.59 has completed its full-scale expansion, it has grown into a complete and comprehensive collection.

TECHNICAL TREND #1
Smoke cracker paint expands the range of dial expression

Audemars Piguet currently has its own dial workshop in Geneva, and its manufacturing technology and management ability to control quality are undoubtedly among the best in the industry. This is symbolized by the smoked lacquer dial introduced for the CODE 11.59 in 2020. A base plate with sunburst-patterned satiné is primed and then painted with a translucent dial color, followed by a gradient paint finish on the outer periphery. The top coat of zapon (transparent lacquer) is also quite thick, and its meticulously polished surface is a major feature. While the manufacturing method is conventional, the depth and brilliance of each color are unmatched.

TECHNICAL TREND #2
A new rubber strap that attempts to create a canvas-like look

In recent years, 3D printers have become mainstream for resin molding, but traditional injection molding has also evolved beyond imagination. One example is the rubber strap used on the CODE 11.59. This is a leather core coated with rubber, but what is surprising is the canvas-like molding on the surface. The texture is so richly expressed that even the fuzziness of each weave is hard to tell at first glance that it is made of rubber. The meticulous stitching is also of excellent finish. The heavy alligator strap used on the previous CODE 11.59 is also good, but if you want to create a sophisticated and relaxed look, rubber is the perfect solution.

TECHNICAL TREND #3
Multi-material design fosters new expression in the two-tone case

The black ceramic caseband completely transforms the profile of the CODE 11.59. It is manufactured by Banger, a Swiss family-run company with which the company has formed a new partnership. After the zirconium oxide is hardened under high pressure, it is pre-machined using a 5-axis CNC and then sintered at approximately 1400°C. At this stage, the caseband loses its binder and shrinks, making it significantly harder to finish. The surface preparation for assembly is presumably completed at this point, but in the case of the CODE 11.59, the angled surface must be polished and the sides must be satin-finished. While the pre-processing is done by machine, the final process is still done by hand.