Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Chronograph grey dial 26393CR.OO.A002KB.01 - Men's watch

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Chronograph Grey Dial Ref. 26393CR.OO.A002KB.01 If Royal Oak was the revolution of 1972, then the Code 11.59 collection represents AP’s boldest gamble of the 21st century. For more than four decades since its debut in 1972, Royal Oak has almost entirely defined the identity of Audemars Piguet. By the 2010s, over 70% of the brand’s revenue came from Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore. For an independent haute horlogerie manufacture, such dependence carries significant risk. AP therefore needed a new design platform, a new generation of movements, and more importantly, a long-term vision for the future. In 2019, at SIHH (now Watches & Wonders), AP unveiled Code 11.59 — the first entirely new collection introduced since Royal Oak in 1972. It launched with 13 references simultaneously: • Automatic • Chronograph • Perpetual Calendar • Tourbillon • Openworked • Minute Repeater Supersonnerie The name “CODE 11.59” carries profound meaning: CODE = Challenge – Own – Dare – Evolve 11:59 = one minute before midnight — the moment just before a new day begins. The message implied by AP was clear: the brand was entering a completely new era. The collection features an extremely complex case architecture: • A round outer case • An octagonal middle case (a subtle nod to Royal Oak) • Open-worked lugs welded to the bezel • A double-curved sapphire crystal with dual anti-reflective coating Code 11.59 is also where AP introduced its new-generation movements: • Calibre 4302 – Automatic, 70-hour power reserve, 22k gold rotor, 28,800 vph • Calibre 4401 – Integrated chronograph with column wheel, vertical clutch, flyback function, and 70-hour power reserve The 4401 is AP’s first new-generation in-house integrated chronograph movement. Code 11.59 was never created to replace Royal Oak, but to ensure AP’s continued strength and relevance for the next 50 years. If Royal Oak was the icon of the 1970s, then Code 11.59 marks the opening chapter of AP in the 21st century. And in the history of rare independent manufactures like Audemars Piguet, the opening chapters are always the most fascinating.