Audemars Piguet’s 2019 model year had been hyped as ground zero for the brand’s much-needed dress watch reboot. Following decades of lackluster sales of the Millenary, the Jules Audemars, and the Edward Piguet dress watch collections, AP called its shot and swung for the fences with the Code 11.59 collection. Amid long-running criticism that Audemars Piguet couldn’t succeed with anything but Royal Oak derivatives, the stakes for the new dress watch debut were high.

And yet, despite massive hype straight from the top – CEO François-Henry Bennahmias was telling the press as early as SIHH 2018 to expect a huge dress watch paradigm change – public reaction to the launch was astonishingly hostile. What was pitched as nothing less than a new industry benchmark for dress watch design crashed onto the rocks of reality when the new Code 11.59 Selfwinding and Chronograph models were panned for a lack of detail, nuance, and perceived quality. The problem was anodyne dials – and it was hard to argue the point.

But everyone who physically handled the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 watches had more to say – mostly positive – than internet pundits. The complications – tourbillon, minute repeater, and perpetual calendar – were superb and looked their price. The Code 11.59 case was a riot of detail, clever design, and self-evident investment in a high quality product. The new movements were robust, stylish, and boasted competitive specs. There was too much about the Code 11.59 that worked to give up based on just a single glaring weakness. People **wanted** to love these watches, and Audemars Piguet found a way to meet the critics half way.

Mid-year in 2019, Audemars indicated it understood what needed to be done by launching the limited edition Code 11.59 Bolshoi Theater, a Russian-themed watch whose smoked blue enamel dial was as charismatic as the originals had been lifeless. Within less than a year, a 2020 series of AP Code 11.59 Selfwinding and Chronograph models bowed with handsome fume lacquer dials derived from the aesthetic of the Bolshoi. The Code 11.59 collection was fixed for good. While the initial press and market reception likely consigned the Code 11.59 to a permanent niche status within Audemars Piguet’s catalog, the quality of the product eventually won AP watchmakers and product designers a small but loyal cadre of dress watch buyers. No, the Code 11.59 will never become a perennial classic like the Patek Philippe Calatrava or Lange 1, but its redemption is complete.

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