Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar Openworked

Audemars Piguet has presented the Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar Openworked, reference 26443NB.OO.D002CR.01, housing Calibre 7139, the manufacture’s first fully in-house self winding perpetual calendar conceived, designed and assembled at its Le Locle facility and revealed in skeletonized form. The decision marks a departure from convention: perpetual calendars have historically kept their intricate mechanisms concealed beneath bridges and plates, their complexity hidden from view.

To expose Calibre 7139 required substantial redesign. Each component removed, each aperture cut through golden brass, had to be tested and verified to preserve function while revealing the geometry beneath. The perpetual calendar mechanism itself tracks the solar year through a system of cams and levers; the calendar will not require manual correction until 2100. A single crown, which Audemars Piguet terms an all-in-one correction system, allows adjustment of hours, minutes and calendar function, addressing a practical problem that has long dogged perpetual calendar watches: the adjustment process demands skill and patience.

The case is white gold with a white dial and openworked caseback that frames the movement against light. The octagonal bezel geometry inherited from the Royal Oak sits alongside the integrated tapisserie dial pattern that anchors the Code 11.59 collection. When viewed from behind, the movement becomes part of the visual composition itself.

At Le Locle, the manufacture’s quality control protocols verify chronometric performance, calendar function and mechanical tolerance through precise instrumentation before artisans undertake the hand finishing. The visibility of the mechanism under constant scrutiny becomes an argument itself: here is the evidence of the work, exposed entirely.

The crown correction system, which Audemars Piguet describes as all in one, simplifies the adjustment of the perpetual calendar function. Instead of multiple crowns or complicated procedures, a single crown allows for intuitive setting of hours, minutes and the calendar. This refinement addresses a practical problem that has dogged perpetual calendar watches: the adjustment process itself demands skill and patience.

The Code 11.59 case, first introduced as Audemars Piguet’s contemporary design statement, provides the chassis. Reference 26443NB.OO.D002CR.01 is executed in white gold with a white dial and an openworked caseback that frames Calibre 7139 against light. The watch sits at the intersection of two design languages: the octagonal bezel geometry inherited from the Royal Oak, and the integrated tapisserie dial pattern that anchors the Code 11.59 collection. The openwork design means the movement itself becomes part of the visual composition when the watch is viewed from behind.

The manufacture’s quality control protocols remain rigorous. Images from the Le Locle facility show the systematic inspection and testing of each movement before hand finishing commences. Chronometric performance, calendar function and mechanical tolerance are verified through precise instrumentation. Only after these checks are completed do the artisans undertake the hand finishing that gives Calibre 7139 its refined appearance.

The technical achievement, however, carries real commercial weight. Perpetual calendars have long represented the apex of mechanical watchmaking, the complications that justify the highest prices and strongest collector attachment. That Audemars Piguet has elected to present this mechanism in fully openworked form, trusting both its engineering and its finishing to withstand constant view, suggests confidence in both. The visibility of the mechanism becomes an argument itself: here is the evidence of the work, exposed to scrutiny.

The Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar Openworked with Calibre 7139 is available through Audemars Piguet boutiques and authorized retailers. Reference 26443NB.OO.D002CR.01 represents a significant entry point to the brand’s most complex contemporary movement.

Imagery courtesy of Audemars Piguet (@audemarspiguet).