Two New Colours Debut in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Collection

The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection expands with two new 38mm references in ivory and purple.

Photography TYLER LI

There were great expectations for the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet when the new watch collection made its long-awaited debut in 2019, at least by the standards of the brand, which had put in many years of effort to develop a watch it deemed worthy of – and distinctly different from – the legendary Royal Oak that defined the Audemars Piguet name for so long. 

While for many, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet wasn’t quite love at first sight, no one could deny it was an extremely cleverly designed watch, with an architectural construction that sandwiches an octagonal middle case and openworked lugs that are welded to the extra-thin bezel. Now with several years behind it, it’s evident that Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet is a brilliant collection whose brilliant potential has since been demonstrated by the brand several times. Indeed, it’s been the perfect canvas for revered complications such as the Starwheel, as well as the most complicated Audemars Piguet watch in history, the Universelle. 

And soon enough too, Audemars Piguet gave the base models a well-deserved facelift, replacing the much simpler first-generation dials with ones that are finely embossed, as well as new hands and hour markers. Gone are the plain-looking baton hands and indexes with Arabic quarters, replaced by faceted markers that bring extra detail to the dial, while the hands are partially open-worked. Both markers and hands are in white gold and feature luminous filling to enhance legibility. These new base models came in a three-hand version or a chronograph, with three dial colours available. The green and blue come in a stainless-steel case, while the more unusual smoked beige dial is encased in steel with a ceramic middle section. 

But the standout detail of this new generation of Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet models is without doubt the guilloché dials. While those used in the serially produced watches are stamped, they were specially created by Swiss guillocheur Yann von Kaenel; the dies used in the stamping process are first engraved using a hand-operated machine via traditional methods, enabling the team to bring an intricate concentric pattern to life. 

But beautiful as the collection is, the line-up has always been on the larger side, with most models coming in 41mm and even 42mm diameters – and with their extra-thin bezel and rather open face, these watches can appear even more substantial that they actually are. For those preferring smaller watches or with slimmer wrists, the larger models simply felt too big. 

The logical next step for the brand, then, was to create a new model designed specially with those smaller wrists in mind. Enter the 38mm Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet, which debuts with two models in pink gold with unconventional dial colours of either purple or ivory. 

With the smaller watches come a different movement: the new 38mm version is now powered by the calibre 5900, which launched in 2022 with a 60-hour power reserve and 3 bars of water resistance. The watch is not only smaller, it’s thinner too, with a new case thickness of just 9.6mm. Otherwise, the smaller watch stays the same, with the same beautiful embossed dial, faceted hour markers and everything we loved about the sandwich case design. 

The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection today seems more complete than ever. Beautifully modern yet elegant basic models in appealing sizes, and brilliantly complex watches that showcase Audemars Piguet’s unrivalled watchmaking savoir-faire. It’s the dawn of a new era.