Watch of the Month: Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Toubillon Openworked

The case is made from 18k pink gold and measures 41mm in diameter. Though round at first glance, the profile reveals more complexity. Specifically, there’s an octagonal midcase that nods to the Royal Oak, hidden beneath the polished bezel and back. The openworked lugs, which are attached to the bezel rather than the midcase, further emphasize the brand’s attention to architectural detail.

Inside the case is where things really take off. The hand-wound Caliber 2948 is a visual and mechanical highlight, offering a flying tourbillon and fully openworked design. The movement is only 4.97mm thick, yet composed of 196 components, with a power reserve of 80 hours and a beat rate of 3 Hz (21,600 vph). The bridges are coated in black PVD, while the mainplate is rhodium-toned, creating contrast that highlights the mechanics from every angle. Like all Audemars Piguet watches, the finishing is outstanding. There are 70 hand-polished V-angles on the movement alone, which was an enormous undertaking considering how much surface area had been removed to skeletonize the bridges. Every bevel, surface, and edge is finished by hand.
 

The front-facing display is all about transparency thanks to the open-working — the hands float above the expansive view of the movement, all framed by a lacquered black inner bezel with the minutes/seconds scale. The tourbillon spins proudly at 6 o’clock while the double-curved sapphire crystal adds visual depth to the face of the watch.

What makes that display even more dynamic is the crystal itself. Audemars Piguet developed a double-curved sapphire crystal specifically for the Code 11.59 collection. The inner surface is domed, while the outer surface is curved vertically from 6 to 12 o’clock, which is an unusual and technically demanding shape. The result is a crystal that stretches edge to edge, integrates seamlessly with the thin bezel, and plays with depth and perspective to enhance the view. Light shifts across it as you move the watch, creating a sense of dimensionality that adds to the overall complexity of the piece. A polished chamfer runs around the crystal’s edge, echoing the finishing work on the bezel, lugs, and case.
 

This special AP complicated watch is paired with a hand-stitched black alligator strap and 18k pink gold folding clasp that matches the case. Despite its complexity, it wears comfortably thanks to the case’s curvature and balanced proportions.

Technical, distinctive, and very much its own thing, the pink gold Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Tourbillon Openworked watch is one of the earliest and most successful expressions of what the Code 11.59 collection set out to be.
 

Find the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Tourbillon Openworked ref. 26600OR.OO.D002CR.01 and other exceptional timepieces at Gray & Sons, where every timepiece is inspected and authenticated by our Swiss-trained watchmakers. Visit us in-store or online at grayandsons.com to discover your next great watch.