In-Depth – One Year After… The Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph
Even though it would be impossible to hide all the buzz, the discussions and the emotions that surrounded the launch of this watch – certainly the most commented watch ever – it won’t be the topic of the day. We could argue with its detractors… We could, but we won’t. What we’ll do today is being fair, objective and realistic. Because today, over a year after its launch, now that the dust has settled, we’re going to give a second and in-depth look on the Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet – with the blue dial/white gold Selfwinding Chronograph model. Because, objectively, this watch has a lot to offer.
As far as micro brands go, Baltic is one of the most popular. We got our own taste of the hype around this brand during this year’s Time+Tide “Watch & Act” Auction, when the founder Etienne donated a prototype Aquascaphe to the cause. We knew it had been a successfully released debut dive watch from Baltic, but we never expected the prototype to hammer for more than six times the retail price of a regular production Aquascaphe, selling for USD $4100. Today, another member is being added to the tool watch family of the French brand, the Baltic Aquascaphe Bronze. When the Aquascaphe collection was first launched, it was available in three different steel references: black with white details, black with cream details, and blue with cream details. In the Aquascaphe Bronze we see a merging of different elements of each piece, including the prototype we sold at auction, to create a quite charming looking blue dial watch cased in bronze. And while you might think, “Not another bronze watch, hasn’t that trend died yet?”, the bronze in this watch is not your typical affordable coloured metal. The bronze used in the 39mm Aquascaphe case is an aluminium copper alloy,…
A helium release valve will never stop confusing people. What does it do? How does it work? Do I need one when snorkelling, or free-diving on holiday? The answer to that last question is a firm no, and, to prove it, DOXA have reinvented their own 1969 SUB 300T — the first consumer-grade dive watch to include the famous HRV — without one. DOXA use this iconic model to celebrate 50 years of technological advancement by showcasing what breathtaking depths a standard screw-down watch case can achieve. Purists can relax, though. In nearly every other way an authentic reproduction of the original cult classic. The dial Some brands tend to overdo the retro style, but as a faithful re-creation of the first 300T Conquistador, DOXA’s reissue is just a timeless classic. A multitude of colours are available, which change the character of the watch significantly — from the vibrant orange ‘Professional’ to the subtle silver of the ‘Searambler’. All sport the functionally oversized minute hand and buckets of luminous paint on the hands and hour markers. The asymmetrical text placement of the DOXA logo and model information creates larger areas of negative space, allowing the dial colour to come through…
This year might be one of the most unusual ever when it comes to new watches being released. While brands were already seeking different ways to share their new releases with the watch-loving community, the global pandemic that we are still watching unfold has put a stop to almost any plans that brands might have had for the year. That means watches are being released in slow drops at the moment, not able to capitalise on the big moments such as Watches & Wonders or Baselworld where the industry is all in one place (though we did our best to make a moment with our coverage of Watches & Wonders Online). To make sure you aren’t missing any of the new watches that are being released at the moment, we wanted to take a look at a few pieces that have been released a little more quietly over the last few weeks, including great pieces from Omega, Bulgari and Casio. Omega Aqua Terra, now in green and blue The Omega Aqua Terra is a crowd favourite for its clean design, bulletproof movement and comfort on the wrist. They have been produced in a range of metals and dial colours —…
This year, Piaget has focused on the two strengths that most clearly define the Maison: on one hand, ultra-thin men’s watches (taken to their most technically demanding extreme) and on the other, boldly designed and extravagantly gem-set women’s watches. Altiplano Ultimate Concept Nobody could reasonably dispute that this insanely thin new watch is quite mind-blowing. But to properly understand it, a bit of context is needed. Its genesis dates back to 2014, when Piaget introduced the Altiplano 900P. At an unfeasibly skinny 3.65mm, it was the thinnest hand-wound watch ever made and it redefined our assumptions about the limits of ultra-thin watchmaking. The stroke of genius had been to reject the traditional binary notion of case plus movement, and instead to use the caseback as the baseplate. However, Piaget was already a serial record-breaker in ultra-thin watchmaking. In 1960, three years after launching the hand-wound Calibre 9P (at 2mm, it was one of the world’s slimmest movements), the 2.3mm thick Calibre 12P set a new record as the thinnest self-winding movement. Since the millennium, other records have followed: thinnest tourbillon, thinnest minute repeater, thinnest skeletonised movements – and more. Then, at SIHH 2018, Piaget introduced us to the Altiplano Ultimate…
For their spring novelty releases this year, Chopard have reinvigorated two of their most popular collections: the Mille Miglia and the L.U.C families. We are offered something for everyone, with the more refined L.U.C collection featuring attractive new perpetual calendar references with tastefully balanced dial proportions and a beautifully decorated movement, while the sportiness of the gentleman driver comes across in the Mille Miglia collection, this year with an azzurro motif. Let’s take a closer look at what’s new. L.U.C Perpetual Twin Getting a makeover this year are two new models in the L.U.C ‘Complications’ family, using the same in-house 96.22-L caliber as the lauded 2016 Perpetual Twin, which claims the honour of first chronometer-rated perpetual calendar in stainless steel. Its 22k gold micro-rotor and twin-barrel system grants a typically power-hungry complication a healthy reserve of 65 hours, making sure you won’t have to reset the date too often if left off a winder for a day or two. These aren’t hidden innovations either, as the display caseback reveals a wonderfully decorated movement. The dial of the 43mm timepiece has been tidied up, replacing cut-off Roman numerals with less invasive pointed indices. This cleaner look may give the watch a…
Editor’s note: Watchmaking is founded on incremental progress. The slow accumulation of applied knowledge that produces a better and better product with each passing year. That is exactly what TAG Heuer have achieved with their latest generation Connected Watch, offering the most optimised blend of Swiss luxury and Silicon Valley tech that we have seen in a smartwatch to date. Andrew spent some quality time with the TAG Heuer Connected Watch generation 3 before it was released to get a better understanding of what it is all about, and how it is better than the previous generations. Without further ado, enjoy his Week on the Wrist review. The latest generation of the TAG Heuer Connected Watch has just been released and it represents a major and — practically everyone would agree — welcome departure from the tech and mindset of the previous two generations. Simply because it is now powered by Google Wear OS, which allows the Swiss to do what they do best — a dramatically refined and more luxurious case and overall design — and it lets Google run the hardware, with a raft of improved apps and functions, most of which we explore in the video. In terms of…