Photo: Courtesy Audemars Piguet
Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet has a new entry to celebrate this season—a timepiece that combines black ceramic with 18-carat white gold, and revisits the tradition of wandering hours: the new Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel.
Photo: Courtesy Audemars Piguet
Invented back in the 17th century, wandering hours are a type of horological complication that allow a timepiece to display hours using a unique system of satellites that gravitate along a minute scale arranged in the form of an arc. Though the system was less popular in the 20th century, Audemars Piguet took the initiative to bring it back into the spotlight come 1991. Now named the Starwheel, the mechanism is making its comeback in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection, complete with a contemporary new design that seamlessly fits in with modern aesthetics, while also playing tribute to a less-known classic in Haute Horlogerie complications.
Photo: Courtesy Audemars Piguet
The new Starwheel, which was launched earlier this year, is a continuation of the 1990s models, but comes with a twist. Housed in the sleek Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet case, this timepiece boasts overlapping geometric shapes, including a round bezel, caseback and Starwheel discs, and a rounded octagonal case middle. Blue aventurine adds an element of drama to the watch, against which three discs rotate on their own axes like planets in a miniscule universe. Three domed aluminium disks sit in the centre of the dial, and white wandering numerals frame the edges. Take a look below.
Photo: Courtesy Audemars Piguet
