New: Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Starwheel

Audemars Piguet brings their tradition of wandering hours first shown in their Starwheel to the Code 11.59 collection.

Press Release information with commentary in italics.

New: Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Starwheel

The retail price for the new Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ref. 15212NB.OO.A002KB.01 is SGD 83,500 inclusive of GST.

Commentary

“Finally!”, some collectors heave a sigh…”a Code 11.59 worthy of the Audemars Piguet name!” Not quite our cry, as we have seen the merits of the collection since the launch. Read our meditations on the AP Code 11.59 when the collection was released in 2019, amidst the condemnation of much of the media and collectors, we believe we stood by the line of objectivity and gave the collection a modest thumbs up.

But this new release of the veritable wandering hours Starwheel to the collection is a breath of very fresh air. Though old in design, the Starwheel is given a new lease of life in the Code 11.59 collection. The wandering hours design by AP traces its history back to the 17th century, with AP bringing the complication to wristS watches in 1991 with their first Starwheel. At launch, the watch was rather finicky to wear, demanding the owner to be very gentle when setting the time, as there was a real and present danger of the mechanism jamming if the wheels were moved too fast. But we understand this was later resolved, and the watch became much more robust in later iterations. However, the beauty of the Starwheel, with the mechanism and rotating planets shown bare in the beautifully crafted case and dial remains from the first day it saw light as a novelty. The design was the inspiration behind the Gorilla Fastback GT as a much less expensive proposal. Gorilla is a creation of Octavio Garcia, who was, for many years, Chief Artistic Officer at AP for several years. And AP themselves kept the Starwheel alive, somewhat, with new versions, including a very special tonneau shaped series known as the John Schaeffer Starwheel, including an even more exotic Répétition Minutes Star Wheel ‘John Shaeffer’. AP continued revisiting the Starwheel till the early 2000, including models using the Millinary oval case. This new release, under the Code 11.59 collection is the first revisit by AP after about two decades. Some commentators also think that the Urwerk UR 102, which was also recently re-issued is inspired by the AP Starwheel.

This concept of the novelty remains the same. A rotating platform carrying three discs which rotate on their own axis form the base of the wandering hours. The entire system is set to motion in such a way that a sector covering 1/3 the dial is marked to carry the minutes indication from 00 to 60, and the correct hour is indicated by one of the rotating discs. As the current hour disc slips off at the 60m mark, the next one, correctly positioned and oriented takes up its place at 00 to show the next hour.

As part of the Code 11.59 collection, the dial material is chosen to showcase the use of mixed material – 18k white gold is set in the three part case with black ceramic as the mid-layer, sandwiched by the front and rear bezel in gold. We have always loved the design of the case, as first propositioned by our Meditations of 2019.

The dial too is set with an aventurine base, with the 3 slightly domed discs in black PVD aluminium with white arabic appliqué numerals. The minutes sector and the seconds rehaut in the periphery is also in black and white, repeating the colour scheme set by the three rotating hour discs.

The complete watch now has a rather refined look and feel. Modern as the lines and material selection of the Code 11.59 collection is, with a avant garde take on the wandering hours. Rather nice, we must say. And “Bravo” to Audemars Piguet.

Release details

Le Brassus, December 2022 – Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is delighted to present its new Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel, a timepiece that combines black ceramic with 18-carat white gold. Invented in the 17^th 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. After falling from favour in the 20^th century, this system was rediscovered and reintroduced by Audemars Piguet in 1991. Named the Starwheel, this unusual mechanism equipped many models up until the early 2000s. Today, the Starwheel is making a comeback in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection, whose ultra-contemporary design highlights this fascinating display while also paying tribute to a relatively unknown classic in Haute Horlogerie complications. 

WANDERING HOURS IN AN ULTRA-CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

From the 17^th to the 20^th century, the beauty of the wandering hours complication laid in a mysteriously hidden mechanism. Reinterpreted by Audemars Piguet in 1991, this complication revealed in all its splendour with its mechanism visible on the dial. 

The new Starwheel launched this year is a continuation of the models from the 1990s and is housed in the ultra-contemporary Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet case, whose architectural lines are enhanced by the wandering time display. 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. 

Blue aventurine serves 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.

PLAYING WITH MATERIALS

This new 41 mm 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. 

Like the gold components, the ceramic case middle is meticulously finished with the iconic interplay of polished bevels and satin-finished surfaces. Furthermore, Audemars Piguet artisans have used their expertise to achieve the perfect alignment between the multiple angular and round surfaces of the case, which is only possible thanks to their manual craftsmanship. 

On the dial side, the double-curved sapphire crystal magnifies both the numerous details present in the blue aventurine and the finishing of the various elements, while also bringing increased depth to the dial. 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. 

A STARWHEEL MOVEMENT 

IN THE CODE 11.59 BY AUDEMARS PIGUET COLLECTION

For the very first time, the emblematic Starwheel display is integrated into the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection with the selfwinding 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. 

The time display is achieved thanks to a central rotor operating a complete revolution in three hours and on which are fixed three aluminium discs that turn on their own axes. Each disc has four digits from 1 to 12 that take turns in pointing to the arched sector at the top of the dial on which the minute scale is printed. The 18-carat white goldtrotteuse is slightly curved at the tip to follow the relief of the discs, indicating the seconds like in a traditional timepiece.  

A TRADITION OF TIMEPIECES WITH WANDERING HOURS

The wandering hours system can be traced back to the 17^th century following a special request from Pope Alexander VII. Suffering from insomnia that was aggravated by the ticking of a clock, he ordered a “night clock” from the Campani brothers who were clockmakers based in Rome. He requested a clock that would be silent and easy to read in the dark. The Campani brothers presented the Pope with the first wandering hours clock, where the time was read on a semi-circle in an aperture that indicated the quarter hours and was lit from the inside. This night clock was the precursor of the wandering hours system. 

From the end of the 17^th century, this complication was introduced into pocket watches without backlighting. While the arc-shaped aperture still measured 180 degrees, the minutes were graduated in addition to the quarter hours for greater precision. During the following century, these watches were offered as prestigious gifts, often bearing the effigy of famous personalities.  

In the 19^th century, the popularity of the wandering hours complication started to wane. The timekeepers that were produced at this time presented a sector of 120 degrees to facilitate the reading of the time. The quarter hours disappeared along with the small window for the hours, although the display remained mysterious as the mechanism was still hidden. The 360-degree wandering hours version made an appearance at this time too, although it was gradually replaced by the jumping hour that was to become typical of the Art Deco period during the first half of the 20^th century. 

In 1989, an Audemars Piguet watchmaker rediscovered the wandering hours system in an article in the Journal suisse d’horlogerie. This was a period of increased creativity as the industry was seeing a revival of mechanical watchmaking. In 1991, after 18 months of development, the Manufacture’s first wandering hours watch was presented (Ref. 25720). Named the “Star Wheel” – probably in reference to the three stars that support the sapphire hour discs fixed on a large central wheel – this watch broke the mystery of its operation by revealing the mechanism. 

Between 1991 and 2003, around 30 “Star Wheel” models were produced by the Manufacture in several different collections. These aesthetically creative timepieces varied in design with the arc-shaped aperture present in different lengths and locations, some of which also incorporated gemsetting and openworking. By reintroducing the wandering hours system, Audemars Piguet paved the way and opened a new chapter in 21^st-century watchmaking. 

Today, with the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel, the Manufacture is reviving this little-known complication as well as paying a highly contemporary tribute to traditional watchmaking. 

“Invented in 1655 thanks to a request by Pope Alexander VII, who suffered from insomnia that was exacerbated by the ticking of his clock, the wandering hours complication was rediscovered by Audemars Piguet in 1991 and combines history, technical challenges, design and poetry.”

Sébastian Vivas, Heritage and Museum Director at Audemars Piguet

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS CALIBRE 4310 Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel / 41 mm

Ref:L 15212NB.OO.A002KB.01

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes and centre seconds. 

CASE

Black ceramic case middle and crown, 18-carat white gold bezel, lugs and caseback, double glareproofed sapphire crystal, glareproofed sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 30 m. 

Case thickness: 10.7 mm

DIAL

Blue aventurine dial, black opaline aluminium discs, 18-carat white gold hands and black inner bezel. 

BRACELET

Textured black rubber-coated strap with 18-carat white gold pin buckle.   

MOVEMENT SPECIFICATIONS

Selfwinding Calibre 4310 

Total diameter 32 mm (14 lignes)

Total thickness 6.05 mm

Number of parts 261

Number of jewels 32

Minimum power reserve guaranteed 70 h

Frequency of balance wheel 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)