CODE 11.59 BY AUDEMARS PIGUET ULTRA-COMPLICATION UNIVERSELLE

The Manufacture’s Very First Ultra-Complicated Selfwinding Wristwatch. More than a century after the production of its ultra-complicated Universelle pocket watch, Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is delighted to introduce its very first ultra-complicated selfwinding wristwatch (RD#4) in the highly contemporary design of the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection. While paying tribute to the Manufacture’s legacy of high complications, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 has been crafted with ergonomics and contemporary usage in mind to offer unprecedented comfort and simplicity of use. This new creation regroups the Manufacture’s horological savoir-faire into a single movement, the selfwinding Calibre 1000, which counts over 1,100 components. A feat of engineering and fine watchmaking tradition, this pioneering mechanism builds on three generations of R&D innovations and incorporates 40 functions, including 23 complications, among which a Grande Sonnerie Supersonnerie, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, a split-seconds flyback chronograph and a flying tourbillon. Engineers, designers, watchmakers and craftspeople worked hand in hand for over 7 years to bring this RD#4 timepiece to life, continuously broadening their skills to push the limits of Haute Horlogerie craftsmanship to new heights. This new case measuring only 42 mm in diameter (instead of 41 mm) and 15.55 mm in thickness represents a real feat of engineering.

Ref. 26398BC.OO.D002CR.01

On the right side of the case, three crowns with coaxial pushers allow the wearer to wind the watch, set the time and date with the central crown and select the chiming mode (Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie or silence mode). The flyback chronograph can be started and stopped with the supercrown at 2 o’clock and reset with the other supercrown at 4 o'clock. The 4 o'clock crown also corrects the month in sync with the year. Among the innovations, the ergonomic crown-pusher – or “supercrown” – at 4 o’clock brings correction to a new level. While the pusher actuates the flyback chronograph’s zero resetting mechanism, the crown also enables the forward or backward correction of the month. In addition, the crown automatically returns to its neutral position after rotating it (up to 70°) in either direction. This ease of use hides highly technical mechanical devices located in both the crown and the movement, as well as a complex security system preventing misuse. Lastly, small intuitive symbols engraved on each crown and push-piece remind the wearer of their respective functions. The added Supersonnerie mechanism grants this ultra-complicated wristwatch the acoustic power, sound quality and harmonic tone of older chiming timepieces. This Supersonnerie technology also provides a sharper tempo, as the hours and minutes chime without interruption when there is no quarter chiming sequence. Four variations of the model crafted in 18-carat white or pink gold will be introduced in 2023, each endowed with a different dial marrying clarity with refined contrasts.