Home » [New watch 2022]The innovation of classical functions! AP Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Starwheel device new interpretation

[New watch 2022]The innovation of classical functions! AP Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Starwheel device new interpretation

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[New watch 2022]The innovation of classical functions! AP Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Starwheel device new interpretation

By Amanda Wang
AUDEMARS PIGUET Code 11.59 Starwheel, priced at NT$1,740,000.

Audemars Piguet (AUDEMARS PIGUET) seems to be reluctant to finish 2022. In the second half of the year, it released the Royal Oak Offshore Music Special Edition, the Royal Oak Ten-color Gemstone Watch, and this newly released Code 11.59 Starwheel. Although Watch fans who are familiar with Audemars Piguet will find that this is a watch they worked hard in the 1990s, but because it is built on the new generation Code 11.59 series, it is another matter.

The last time I saw Audemars Piguet launched a watch with the Starwheel satellite hour turntable function was probably around 2000. The concept of relaying the hour with three digital dials looks very dazzling and novel visually. The famous satellite hour indicator of the independent watchmaking brand URWERK is also based on the same principle. But in fact, this concept was invented as early as the 17th century. It is said that it was invented by Pope Alexander VII, who suffered from insomnia. The Campani brothers asked for help, hoping that they could make a night clock that was quiet and could see the time clearly in the dark, so the Campani brothers designed a large desk clock that displayed the hour through the central fan-shaped window, and there was a minute scale on the top to match It shows the time, and this night clock is the ancestor of the roaming hour device, which is now housed in the British Museum.

The Campani brothers were commissioned by Pope Alexander VII to make the night clock in 1683. The fan-shaped window in the center shows the hour, and there is a minute scale on the top to match the time.

Unfortunately, this function was gradually replaced and declined. It was not until 1989 when an Audemars Piguet watchmaker read an article about the roaming hour device in a magazine that this function was restarted. In 1991, Audemars Piguet was born. The roaming hour model of reference 25720. Since then, Audemars Piguet has made a lot of efforts in roaming hour watches. It has produced about 30 Starwheel-related models, and combined with engraving, hollowing out, gem inlay and other techniques, Audemars Piguet stopped production of Starwheel in 2003. After that, if you want to find those watches at that time, you can only hunt for treasures at the auction. Unexpectedly, Audemars Piguet restarted the Starwheel again this year, and put this function on the Code 11.59 series.

This time, Audemars Piguet recruited French artist Ugo Gattoni, who had created illustrations for Hermès and the fragrance brand Diptyque, to collaborate on a cosmic trek-like animation design for Code 11.59 Starwheel.

When Code 11.59 was launched in 2019, the discussion broke the table, including voices of opposition. After all, Audemars Piguet has been equated with the Royal Oak for a long time, and Code 11.59 was born out of nowhere. Come revolution. Since its launch three years ago, everyone has actually accepted Code 11.59 silently. In addition, Audemars Piguet knows how to create topics for Code 11.59 in terms of functions and materials. Of course, Code 11.59 itself is also very strong, and its details are slow. Slowly being seen and becoming a selling point, Code 11.59 began to have a shining posture. This time Audemars Piguet put Starwheel in Code 11.59, firstly because in terms of attributes, roaming hours are indeed much more suitable here than on RO or ROO, and secondly, such a topical revival of functions is relatively It can drive the momentum of Code 11.59, no matter how you look at it, I think this is a good move.

The 4310 self-winding movement carried by the Code 11.59 Starwheel is remanufactured with the additional module of the 4309 movement, which is the basic movement widely used by Audemars Piguet at this stage.

The Code 11.59 Starwheel uses three hour dials with white letters on a black background, with a triangular pointer on the dial and a minute scale above, relaying the current time. In the past, Audemars Piguet’s Starwheel used mostly transparent hour dials, mainly made of rose gold and without a second hand configuration. This time it is obviously different from the previous style. The three-hour dial is presented in PVD aluminum alloy, with hour marker fonts. The choice is more modern, with a dual-material sandwich case made of platinum and ceramics, and the dial is also lined with aventurine, a material previously used in Code 11.59 for high-complexity functions. Not a brand new feature, but these tweaks make it look almost like a brand new watch too.

In 1991, Audemars Piguet’s first roaming hour watch (model 25720) was made with a gold shell and three transparent turntables, and it was designed without a second hand. The star wheel in the center of the turntable is also the origin of the name of the watch.

As for why it is called “Starwheel (Starwheel)”? From the front of the three turntables of the first-generation model 25720 roaming hours, you can see that there is a star-shaped wheel shaft in the center. This year, the star-shaped wheel of the Code 11.59 Starwheel has become a dart-like shape. Although the turntable is not transparent, it cannot It’s a pity to see the device moving, but the black dial can be read at a glance, and the reading time is relatively easy without other interference. The appearance of Starwheel this time also makes the direction of Code 11.59 clearer. There will be more and more attempts of new materials and new functions in the Code 11.59 series in the future. After all, as the youngest in the AP family Members are relatively unburdened. When innovative design appears, it will be a normal state. Traditional elements can also be played with, and you can attack and retreat. Youth is also an asset.

  • AUDEMARS PIGUET
  • Code 11.59 Starwheel
  • Diameter: 41mm
  • Material: 18K white gold and ceramic
  • Functions: Rotary hours, analog minutes, central seconds indication
  • Movement: 4310 self-winding
  • Power reserve: about 70 hours
  • Waterproof: 30 meters
  • Price: NT$1,740,000

update time|2022.12.01 11:22

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