The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet is the brand's most ambitious modern launch and its first entirely new collection in more than two decades. Unveiled in January 2019 at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, it was AP's swan song at that fair and the most significant release since the original Royal Oak of 1972. The name itself carries deliberate meaning: 'Code' is an acronym for Challenge, Own, Dare and Evolve, while '11.59' marks the final minute before midnight, symbolizing the anticipation of a new day. The collection took roughly seven years of research and development.
The defining idea is the case. Rather than a simple round watch, the Code 11.59 fuses an octagonal middle case between a perfectly round, ultra-thin bezel and a round caseback, with hollowed-out, welded lugs. A double-curved sapphire crystal arches over the dial, an unusually difficult component to manufacture. Hand finishing usually reserved for movements, satin-brushing, polishing and bevelling, is applied to the case profile. AP also used the launch to introduce three brand-new in-house movements: the automatic caliber 4302, the integrated flyback chronograph caliber 4401 (the firm's first integrated chronograph), and the flying-tourbillon caliber 2950.
At launch the line spanned thirteen references across six watch types: time and date, chronograph, perpetual calendar, flying tourbillon, openworked tourbillon and Minute Repeater Supersonnerie. The core references are still recognizable today. The Selfwinding time-and-date is reference 15210; the Selfwinding Chronograph is 26393; the Perpetual Calendar is 26394; the Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon is 26396; and the Minute Repeater Supersonnerie is 26395.
The reception in 2019 was famously mixed, with much of the early criticism aimed at the dial and driven by unflattering press photographs. In the metal, the case architecture, the curved crystal and the finishing told a different story, and opinion shifted steadily in the collection's favor. AP expanded the line with new dials, ceramic case middles and two-tone combinations. A turning point came in 2023, when the Code 11.59 was offered in stainless steel for the first time, the time-and-date 15210ST and chronograph 26393ST, bringing a sportier, more attainable format to a line that had been precious-metal only.
Today the Code 11.59 is appreciated as a genuine alternative to the Royal Oak: a contemporary round dress-sport watch with high-end finishing and serious in-house mechanics. Bedesten Watches has sold authentic Audemars Piguet timepieces in Istanbul since 1999. For the Code 11.59, whether the gold time-and-date, the steel chronograph or a high-complication piece, visit our Suadiye store in Kadikoy or message us on WhatsApp +90 532 327 88 26 for current stock, appraisal and pricing.