THE MECHANICS OF FASCINATION
Incorporating a profusion of complications and ingenious systems, the new work of the watchmaker born in Le Brassus embodies the mechanical expression of his contemporary know-how and the creative power of his workshops.
Prowess? The word seems rather weak to describe the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4. Majestic? Without a doubt. Exceptional? Yes! This masterpiece, which pays tribute to L’Universelle, a complex pocket watch made in 1899, concentrates both age-old and contemporary know-how as it contains the latest innovations made by Audemars Piguet‘s teams of engineers, watchmakers and craftsmen. This result of seven years of development features 23 complications and 17 ingenious systems, totaling 40 functions, and is available in four equally spectacular variants.
Machined in white or pink gold, the collection’s emblematic case has been redesigned to increase its diameter from 41 to 42mm to accommodate the self-winding 1000 caliber, assembled with 1,155 components and clocked at 3hz, which delivers a 64-hour power reserve. This manufacture movement powers, among other things, a split-seconds flyback chronograph, a minute repeater, a Grande and Petite Sonnerie, a flying tourbillon, a semi-gregorian perpetual calendar, and an astronomical moon. Pushers and crowns equipped with buttons, installed on the left and right sides of the case and punctuated with pictograms, allow certain functions to be controlled and certain displays to be adjusted. Everything has been carefully designed to make handling as simple and ergonomic as possible. The information on the dial, whether openworked with gray counters or covered with a beige or black disc with an opening at 6 o’clock, is also very easy to read.
