To mark its 150th anniversary, Audemars Piguet has unveiled three new perpetual calendar watches in a more wearable 38mm size – a first for the complication in the Royal Oak and Code 11.59 families.
Until now, the perpetual calendar, which mechanically tracks the irregularities of the Gregorian system with only a century-interval correction, has largely been reserved for the 41mm case.
Shrinking it to 38mm makes one of watchmaking’s most poetic complications accessible to a broader audience, and crucially, a wider range of wrists.
As a technical feat – it’s no easy one.
The novelties debut alongside AP’s latest calibres, the brand-new 7136 and the recently introduced 7138, both protected by five patents.
These self-winding movements feature the manufacturer’s new “all-in-the-crown” adjustment system, which eliminates the fiddly case-side correctors of traditional perpetual calendars.
Instead, wearers can set all functions – day, date, month, moon phase, even the leap year indication – directly through the crown. The calibres remain slim at just 4.1mm thick, yet deliver a solid 55-hour power reserve.
Design-wise, there are three distinct versions.
The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet combines a complex pink-gold case with a textured green dial, created in collaboration with guilloché specialist Yann Von Kaenel.
The Royal Oak line introduces a crisp steel model with a light-blue Grande Tapisserie dial and matching counters, alongside a warm pink-gold version paired with a beige dial and striking blue moon phase at six o’clock.
Each features a sapphire caseback revealing refined finishing, from Côtes de Genève to the 22-carat pink gold rotor.
Limited editions of 150 pieces accompany the core launches, distinguished by vintage AP signatures and special engravings.
In brand CEO Ilaria Resta’s words, the downsized complication embodies the watchmaker’s belief that “the passion for watchmaking should be shared with as many people as possible”.
