Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Black Onyx

The latest Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon comes with a black onyx dial and an attractive two-tone case design interweaving black ceramic with 18-carat white gold.

The black onyx dial’s purity is highlighted by the absence of hour-markers. This stone dial has been crafted in collaboration with long-term partner Someco, a company specialised in dial manufacturing since 1966 and located in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Carved out of a single black onyx stone, the dial has then been cut into a thin disc, ground, sanded and polished to perfection before being inserted into the dial’s pink-gold-toned brass base plate. Its polished finishing confers it an elegant shine, magnified by the watch’s double curved sapphire crystal.

Each dial is unique, as each stone has its own natural composition, texture and colour and reacts differently to the manufacturing and finishing operations.

The overall minimalist design is enriched with pink gold accents, including pink gold hands and a discreet pink-gold-toned minute track printed on the black lacquered inner bezel.

The polished laser-cut pink gold “Audemars Piguet” signature has been applied onto the dial with dedicated legs specifically adapted to the stone’s thickness. Lastly, the flying tourbillon cage, encircled by a delicate pink-gold-toned thread, matching with the balance wheel pulsating within, makes its rotations at 6 o’clock.

For the first time, the top bridge of the flying tourbillon cage has been finished with black PVD in an echo to the dial’s colour. The black rubber-coated strap, finished with a textured motif, enhances the watch’s contemporary look.

The Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon is endowed with a contemporary two-tone case design. While the bezel, lugs and caseback are crafted in 18-carat white gold, the octagonal case middle is honed from black ceramic.

First introduced on the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph in 2021, this two-tone case aesthetic makes its debut this year on some of the collection’s complicated models.

Similarly to the 2021 Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph, the ceramic case middle has been crafted in collaboration with Bangerter, a Swiss family-owned company specialised in the manufacturing of precision components made of advanced ceramics, tungsten carbide and other super hard materials.

Like the gold components, the ceramic case middle is meticulously hand-finished with the Manufacture’s trademark alternation of satin brushing and polished chamfers, endowing the timepiece with a rich play of light.

As previous iterations, this new model houses the selfwinding Calibre 2950. While the flying tourbillon made its appearance in 2018 in the Royal Oak Concept collection, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet first introduced this prestigious mechanism coupled with a central rotor in 2019.

Visible on the dial and through the sapphire caseback, the flying tourbillon cage constantly rotates itself while offering an unobstructed view of some of the watch’s regulating components. The flying tourbillon’s absence of bridges also furthers the dial’s minimalist aesthetic.

The timepiece’s sapphire caseback reveals the collection’s dedicated 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight and the refined finishing adorning Calibre 2950, including Côtes de Genève, traits tirés, snailing and circular graining, among other techniques.

Technical details

Model: Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Black Onyx 41 mm
Reference 26396NB.OO.D002KB.01

Movement
Selfwinding Calibre 2950
Total diameter: 31.50 mm (13 ¾ lignes)
Total thickness: 6.19 mm
Number of parts: 270
Number of jewels: 27
Minimum power reserve guaranteed: 65 h
Frequency of balance wheel: 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)

Functions
Flying tourbillon, hours and minutes

Case
Black ceramic case middle
18-carat white gold bezel, lugs, caseback and crown
Double-curved glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Glare-proofed sapphire caseback
Water-resistant to 20 m
Case thickness: 11.8 mm

Dial
Black onyx dial, 18-carat pink gold hands, black lacquered inner bezel

Strap
Black rubber-coated strap with 18-carat white gold AP folding clasp