Replica Audemars Piguet Brings Back the Star Wheel
Code 11.59 gets its latest addition as AP revives the collector's favorite wandering hour complication from the 1990s.
Let's start with the Code 11.59 collection from Audemars Piguet. It launched in 2019 as a clear commercial endeavor for AP, not just Royal Oak. Second, the originally time-only Code 11.59 was a relatively prosaic way to introduce a collection that was supposed to represent "the future of AP."
Today, Audemars Piguet announced the latest addition to its Code 11.59 collection discount replica watch, the 'Code 11.59 for the Audemars Piguet Starwheel'. It's been over three years since the initial release of Code 11.59 - and over 30 Code 11.59 models have entered the collection - and we've gotten far enough away from the initial release to evaluate the new Code 11.59 models on their own terms. Not every release requires a referendum on Audemars Piguet or Code 11.59.
That said, this might be the most interesting Code 11.59 yet.
Yes, it's essentially a weird watch whose complication was originally designed for a pope in the 17th century by a pair of Roman clockmakers, and whose brash case construction is technically fascinating, but wearable But confusing. No, this particular watch isn't the "Next Generation Royal Oak," or even the "Future of AP" — it's just a watch, and that's fine.
This new Code 11.59 Starwheel features a wandering hour complication inside an 18 karat white gold Code 11.59 case and black ceramic middle case. This is a limited time watch. The 12 wandering hour dials "wander" on the dial, and the current hour points to the current minute along the 120-degree minute track at the top of the dial. For example, the time in the image above is approximately 10:36. The next hour disc reaches the minute track on the hour. It's actually an intuitive, elegant way to tell time. The rotating discs are fixed to the central rotor wheel, and each disc is connected to the rotor by a star wheel in the center of the disc. Hence the name.high quality cheap watches
Calling anything in watchmaking "romantic" is a bit of a cliché these days, but I think it fits here: not only is the wandering hour complication out of place in itself, but the effect it has on the wearer as well. If one wishes, one can poetically watch the hourly rise and fall as it runs across the dial, like a (slightly) more utilitarian moon phase. Implementation is also fairly simple. The central rotor completes one revolution every three hours, while the hour disc makes a quarter revolution (90 degrees) every hour.
To achieve this, Audemars Piguet added a roaming hour module to its chronograph-only Caliber 4309. On the dial, a black opal disc rotates above a blue aventurine dial and a black inner bezel. The font on the hour disc and minute track is very modern, and the white gold center seconds hand sweeps across the entire mechanism. Meanwhile, the white gold case with a black ceramic middle (which we've seen AP use a few times) is the type of complication AP promised when it first introduced the Code 11.59, beveled edges and more.
The Starwheel complication is a callback to the Starwheel AP introduced in 1991, itself an implementation of the wandering hours complication developed by the Roman clockmakers Campani Brothers for the Pope in the 17th century (here is a complication example of one of their clocks in the British Museum) . The original Starwheel had a traditional 36mm case, a dressy watch that had more in common with AP's ultra-thin perpetual calendar than the Royal Oak. The 1991 and 2022 Vagabond Hour complications in traditional configuration are not intended to rival the Royal Oak.Replica Le Mans Classic Watches
In 1996, Audemars Piguet discontinued the first-generation Starwheel, along with other classic models in its lineup (bye, Starwheel; bye Slim Perpetual Calendar; hello, The Beast!). But AP isn't quite done with Starwheel: it's bringing back complications in its short-lived John Shaeffer series, and then in Millenary. The John Schaeffer collection is inspired by a pillow-shaped minute repeater watch commissioned by American industrialist (and watch collector) John Schaeffer in the early 1900s.
In the 1990s, AP launched a small collection of mostly complications inspired by wristwatches. These included the limited-run Starwheel with shock case and minute repeater – dozens of these were produced, most of them in runs of 10, 5 or 3.
While AP completed the Starwheel in 2000, its influence on the watch industry lives on: most notably, Urwerk has used wandering hours complication in a dizzying variety since its launch in 1997. Not only that, but die-hard collectors — and even employees inside AP, by its own admission — immediately lamented the departure of Starwheel. For many, the original Starwheel represented an example of a large Swiss brand innovating in the aftermath of the quartz crisis.
Of course, it's not an icon like the Royal Oak Replica luxury watches. For Audemars Piguet, it is also not as important as the ultra-thin perpetual calendar. But the Starwheel is a niche favored by collectors, not only for its unique aesthetic and the way it tells time, but also for the era of watchmaking it represents. For serious collectors, the Starwheel is something to behold in its own right. In a world where collectors love 'firsts', the Starwheel will forever have a following as the first modern roaming timepiece.
Today, Starwheel is back where it started, with AP. Only time will tell if this new star wheel - or more broadly, code 11.59 - signifies something similar to this era.
Enough history lesson. Let's talk about this Code 11.59 Starwheel and how to wear it. Check out most of the comment sections on our Code 11.59 coverage and you'll see a common thread (okay, you'll see some): one is a reflexive snark dating back to the original version, and now it's a dead joke On a more constructive note, you'll need to see Code 11.59 yourself to really understand, if not appreciate. Honestly, I think the Starwheel photo is the same as any Code 11.59 (maybe it's just thanks to Mark Kauzlarich for this ace photo), but yeah - it's still a better hands-on experience.
The AP still had some 1990s star wheels on hand when I tried them on, including a minute repeater from the John Shaeffer collection. The new Code 11.59 Starwheel replica watches review has a diameter of 41 mm and is a completely different wearing experience compared to the original. This isn't classic watchmaking; it's avant-garde meets renaissance.
With thin bezels and a double-curved Code 11.59 crystal (viewed from the side, it feels like an optical illusion), the dials on the new Starwheel feel absolutely massive. The Associated Press took full advantage of all this real estate. The dial is nothing bland or boring like the original time-only Code 11.59 model series. The aventurine dial complements the wandering hour complication, which was originally developed to take inspiration from the motion of the planets. Roaming hour disks hovering above like satellites, beaming messages back to Earth, are downright interstellar. Aventurine oscillates with the light as it oscillates between shades of purple while shimmering like the night sky (or, I imagine how the Montana night sky might look) in a way that can't be captured in a photo (it's a dial operation quick video). The original star wheel from the 90s didn't have a seconds hand; as a purist, I also prefer that the Code 11.59 doesn't.
The combination of white gold and ceramic middle cases is particularly striking, and AP has also added a ceramic crown to the Starwheel. Perhaps because of the Code 11.59's three-piece construction, the watch looks thicker in the photos than when worn (it's only 10.7mm thick). Sure, it's big, but the situation isn't overwhelming. Details like the structure (notably the hollow lugs) and beveled edges break up the case and, more importantly, make it easy to wear. Oh, and the quality of the strap is much better than in the photos. It looks like canvas, but it's much more, textured and coated with sturdy rubber. When I tried the Starwheel, and a few other Code 11.59s with leather straps, I preferred the canvas/rubber case; it made the replica watches swiss look low-key enough without feeling cheap.
Like I said, there's a lot going on here. Would the aventurine dial and the ceramic middle case with the wandering hour and all those discs with the three-piece Code 11.59 case - all with the wandering hour complication and its historical superposition of 17th century papal origin - be okay Collaborative work?
I was chatting to an artist the other day (I know, bragging, Tony) and he explained to me that every painting, no matter how simple or how busy, needs an "entry point", a place where your eye first catches before they cross the rest of the painting. Now, I'm not one of those people who thinks watchmaking is art or anything like that, but I couldn't help but think of the artist's idea as a wandering hour dial indicating the current time naturally caught my eye, well, Wander around the other disks, glimpse the aventurine below, and try to figure out what the hell is going on with that box. It made me think that maybe everything that happened on the Code 11.59 Starwheel actually does work together.
As Logan postulated after the last round of (complex) Code 11.59 releases, this is perhaps Code 11.59's best use: as a home for complications. Not just complexity in the sense of traditional mechanical watchmaking (after all, vagabond time isn't that complicated, as far as this sort of thing goes), but in terms of making the case, the material, putting a bunch of things together and seeing which things will stick together.
I’ve already mentioned AP’s John Shaeffer collection in the 1990s – at the time, it was “innovative” for AP to incorporate its sophisticated modern watchmaking craftsmanship into those traditionally cushioned cases. But will it be today? Sure, it's going to be popular — just look at what Cartier has been doing with its Privé collection over the past few years. So-called purists gushed about it, barely mentioning the (ahem) aggressive pricing of the limited-edition Pebble. But AP's attempt at Code 11.59 was more challenging—more challenging for ourselves as manufacturers and for us as so-called collectors. More, um, complicated.
Is the Code 11.59 Starwheel the future of AP outside of Royal Oak? Of course not, nor is it claimed to be. But if AP is going to find that future, it won't be in superheroes or soundboards. It will take the type of watchmaking represented by the Starwheel.replica Jacob & Co. Watches
basic knowledge
Brand: Audemars Piguet
Model: Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel
Reference number: 15212NB.OO.A002KB.01
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 10.7mm
Case Material: 18-karat white gold bezel, lugs and case back; black ceramic case center
Dial Color: Blue aventurine dial; black opal aluminum disc; 18-karat white gold hands
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Rubber-coated strap with white gold pin buckle
sports
Movement:
Automatic caliber 4310 (based on caliber 4309) minutes, seconds
Diameter: 32mm
Thickness: 6.05mm
Power reserve: 70 hours winding
:automatic
Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour)
Gems: 32
Other details: 261 parts in total
