Why Audemars Piguet’s Code 11:59 Universelle is so Good

I cannot overstate how incredibly easy it is to set all the indications. To set the sonnerie to grande, petite or silent, you simply turn the pusher at two o’clock. The flyback split-seconds chronograph is operated with the two pushers and the split button recessed into the crown. Interestingly, APR&P’s old coiled reset lever spring has been replaced with a traditional spring bar. There is no need for an isolator because the underlying torque of the movement is adequate to overcome any potential rattrapante drag (drop in amplitude when the split-seconds brake is deployed).

On the subject of power, I asked Papi, “What if it’s midnight at the end of the year, when all calendar information is changing and the grande sonnerie is striking, and I activate the split-seconds brake then?” His reply was, “Good question. The watch has sufficient power to ensure full operation of all functions even in that scenario. The secret is the high-amplitude flying tourbillon we brought over from the RD#3. A normal balance has an amplitude of 330 degrees. Here our balance has an amplitude of over 360 degrees. We accomplished this by designing a new escapement. The result is perfect stability even in this extreme scenario. The watch simply works”

“We decided on a grande sonnerie because this would allow us to use a pusher to activate the minute repeater instead of a slide,” added Papi. “This meant we could waterproof the button and the whole watch. Because of our Supersonnerie technology with our soundboard, even through the watch is water resistant to 20 meters, sound is not affected in any way. This is really a grande complication you can swim in and even play golf with, because we’ve optimized the stability and robustness of every detail.”

Olivia Crouan, AP’s Chief Brand Officer, says, “This is really the future for all complicated watches at Audemars Piguet. We want to continue to create the most extraordinary complications, but also have them be the most user-friendly, reliable and comfortable watches in the world.”

With the creation of the Code 11:59 Universelle, it appears that the Le Brassus manufacture is already well on the way to achieving this very admirable goal.