Audemars Piguet has unveiled Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel, an impressive timepiece that combines black ceramic with 18-carat white gold.
Invented in the 17th century, wandering hours are a type of horological complication that display the hours using a system of satellites that gravitate along a minute scale arranged in the form of an arc. This aesthetic presentation of the hours and minutes brings a certain mystique to the reading of time.
This system was rediscovered and reintroduced by Audemars Piguet in 1991 and renamed the “Starwheel”. This unusual mechanism equipped many models up until the early 2000s and is now making a comeback in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection.
This ultra-contemporary design highlights this fascinating display while also paying tribute to a relatively unknown classic in Haute Horlogerie complications.
The architecture of the case is reinforced by the overlapping of geometric shapes, including a round bezel, caseback and Starwheel discs as well as a rounded octagonal case middle.
The watch features a blue aventurine dial, serving as a shimmering backdrop for the three discs that rotate on their own axes, like planets in the tiny universe of the dial. The three slightly domed discs are made of aluminium and are tinted black thanks to a PVD treatment, before being adorned with an opaline sandblasted finishing touch.
The white wandering hours numerals are then transferred onto the dial. Following the contemporary design, the 120-degree minute sector, which extends in an arc from 10 to 2 o’clock, and the inner bezel, are both black with white minute indications.
This new 41mm reference plays with materials by combining aventurine with 18-carat white gold and black ceramic. This diversity of materials as well as the refined hand finishing – a signature of the Manufacture, which creates an infinite play of light – underscores the complex design of the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection. In addition to this, the 18-carat white gold bezel, lugs and caseback contrast with the black case middle and the new black ceramic crown. The ceramic case middle is meticulously finished with the iconic interplay of polished bevels and satin-finished surfaces.
On the back of the watch, the sapphire crystal reveals the beating heart of the movement, as well as the 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight dedicated to the collection. This new reference is fitted with a textured black rubber-coated strap and a new pin buckle engraved with the Audemars Piguet logo, instead of the usual AP monogram.
For the very first time, the emblematic Starwheel display is integrated into the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection with the self-winding Calibre 4310. This next-generation hour, minute and seconds movement is directly derived from the Calibre 4309, to which a new module has been added. Combining watchmaking technology, traditional know-how and refined decorations, this movement has a minimum power reserve of 70 hours and is water-resistant to 30 metres.
