This year, the Maison in the Vallée de Joux, a place where time seems to dilate among the mountains and silence is interrupted only by the metallic beating of thousands of balance wheels, Audemars Piguet celebrates its 150th anniversary with a creation that is a hymn to matter and watchmaking. The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection is enriched with three new limited-edition references, each with a dial made of an extraordinarily beautiful natural stone: ruby, blue sodalite and green malachite. Three interpretations of one and the same spirit: that of a manufacture that has been turning technique into emotion for a century and a half.
It is now well known that since the 1960s, Audemars Piguet has been able to transform nature into art, cutting and polishing hard stones into dials capable of capturing light like living gems. In these new models, that tradition finds its most poetic expression. Each dial is born from a very thin layer of stone, selected and finished by hand to bring out its veining, its nuances, its depth. No two dials are the same: each is a “microcosm,” a small universe set in 38 millimeters of perfection.
The design of the new Audemars Piguet Code 11.59
The red ruby, set in an 18K white gold case, vibrates with energy and protection. It is the stone of fire, courage, passion, and heartbeat.
On the case back of the 38mm case, through the sapphire crystal, one can admire the 22-carat gold oscillating weight, finely decorated and coordinated to the shade of the case. It is a detail that sums up the Manufacture’s philosophy: nothing is left to chance, not even what is not immediately visible.
The aesthetics of the Code 11.59 have always been a matter of boldness. The alternation of satin-finished and polished surfaces, the architectural case with its octagonal caseband set between two perfectly polished circles, the double-curved sapphire crystal: each line tells the story of Audemars Piguet’s tension towards contemporaneity.
In these three new editions, the purity of stone meets the “warmth” of gold. The hands pick up the color of the precious metal of the case, with luminescent inserts that ensure legibility even in dim light. Matching réhauts (red, blue or green) amplify the chromatic depth of the dial, creating a visual dialogue that seduces and surprises.
The straps, in large-scaled alligator leather, complete the harmony of the ensemble. But Audemars Piguet is also thinking about contemporary life: a matching, interchangeable rubber strap is available upon request, for versatility that allows the watch to move naturally from elegant to everyday settings, without ever sacrificing sophistication.
The 2968 caliber
The Code 11.59 is more than an exercise in style; it is a manifesto of miniaturized engineering. Its heart, Caliber 2968, is an ultra-thin self-winding movement, just 3.4 millimeters thick, designed to offer the magic of the flying tourbillon even in a more compact, more intimate, more versatile format.
The technical challenge is enormous: reducing the size of such a noble complication without sacrificing its balance or precision. Yet thanks to a titanium cage with a peripheral drive system and a high-amplitude escapement, Audemars Piguet has managed to maintain excellent performance, guaranteeing 50 hours of power reserve and a mechanical beauty that can be perceived even if only by watching the tourbillon float at six o’clock, as if suspended above the living stone of the dial.
Behind the visual lightness of these timepieces lies a century and a half of savoir-faire. Since its origins, Audemars Piguet has made miniaturization and aesthetic innovation two of its hallmarks. The Maison’s first women’s creations, transformed into jewelry or pendants, were true laboratories of technical research. Since then, the ability to condense mechanical complexities into ever more subtle and refined forms has become a trademark.
Today, that heritage manifests itself in watches that transcend categories of gender and style. The Code 11.59 speaks to those who love timeless elegance, to those who recognize in the beauty of mechanics a form of art and freedom. It is a timepiece that does not impose, but whispers; that does not shout luxury.
Conclusions
In a hectic and technological age, the Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon Automatic in natural stone is a call to slow gesture, to contemplation. Watching the tourbillon rotate, as the light dances on the veins of ruby, sodalite or malachite, is an almost meditative experience. It is a reminder that time is not just a measurement, but a feeling.
Audemars Piguet, with this trilogy, is not just celebrating an anniversary: it is celebrating the encounter between the earth and human ingenuity. Each model is a small universe that encapsulates the passion of those who, for 150 years, have continued to reinvent the way of telling time.
“The Beat Goes On,” as the Maison’s motto goes, in these three watches, that beat is more alive than ever! as deep as the red of ruby, as serene as the blue of sodalite, as restorative as the green of malachite.
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