Open Season: New Releases from Audemars Piguet Illustrate Exceptional Aesthetics and Mechanics

We’ve been thinking of great artists like Prince and David Bowie a lot lately. More specifically, how is it that some performers manage to stay relevant to many different generations? You could argue that Bowie was constantly reinventing himself. Yet, while “The Artist Formerly Known As” was prolific, he never ventured far from being his Royal Badness.

One could argue that the longevity of Audemars Piguet, which turns 250 this year, can be attributed to a balance of tradition and innovation. And the launch of the new Calibre 7139 marks a wonderful new chapter in AP’s story. That this new perpetual calendar mechanism is debuting in models of both the newer Code 11.59 collection and the iconic Royal Oak line only shows that the goal is not to disrupt the brand’s history but rather to continue it.

Audemars Piguet’s new openworked perpetual calendar movement leverages cutting-edge technology and timeless craftsmanship for an enhanced user experience (it’s much more comfortable to read and wear) that helps keep the wearer connected to the universe’s unique beats and rhythms.

This QP automatically accounts for the varying length of months and leap years, displaying the date and week with flawless precision. Assuming the watch is kept fully wound, the date will only require manual correction in the year 2100 to align with the Gregorian calendar. Moreover, this celestial complication is also equipped with the patented crown correction system launched last year with Calibre 7138.
 

This innovative crown correction system also allows AP’s engineers to streamline the case design and simplify corrections. This is also a notable inclusion because these pieces represent the first time this intuitive all-in-one crown has been used in an openworked mechanism.

This simplification also protects the mechanism because less fiddling means less stress to the inner workings. The end-of-month cam is similarly integrated with the date wheel, while the month cam is fused with the month wheel. Crown corrections form a second layer, enabling the movement to keep a thin 4.1mm profile.
 

“Calibre 7139 embodies Audemars Piguet’s firm belief that tradition and innovation must progress hand in hand,” said AP’s Chief Industrial Officer Lucas Raggi in a press release. “Our R&D and complications teams worked closely with our traditional atelier to give life to a perpetual calendar that simplifies corrections and enhances user experience, all while perpetuating the historical art of open working.”

One of the pieces in which the Calibre 7139 makes its debut is the 41mm Code 11.59 Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Openworked. According to AP, it marks an important design and technical milestone for the collection. The functions of this timepiece include a perpetual calendar with week indication, day, date, astronomical moon, month, leap year, hours, and minutes. The case is a marriage of traditionally upscale 18-carat white gold with the high-tech black ceramic.

But this is merely a framing device. The mechanism itself is placed between a round white gold extra-thin bezel and caseback and surrounded by an octagonal black ceramic case middle. The architecture is low-key, highlighting the intricacies of the openworked movement.
 

While a lot of skeletonized timepieces focus on creating an illusion of depth, the Code 11.59 Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Openworked feels more like the engine’s layers are rising like a miniature landscape. The effect is further enforced by the black inner bezel and minute scale, as well as light grey components – not to get overly poetic, but it feels like late afternoon shadows cast by big city skyscrapers.

Making it feel even more urban, the ceramic and gold components have been finished with alternating satin brushing and polished chamfers, which throw off a wide array of light effects.
 

The dial is further constructed in layers. Transparent sub-dials with smoked external zones at 3, 9, and 12 o’clock let the wearer look beneath street level to the complexity of the movement. At 6 o’clock, the moon phases evolve against a black aventurine backdrop, reminiscent of a string of stars in a starry sky.

Even the smallest details, such as rhodium-toned pink gold hour-markers and 18-carat white gold hands, lead the eye through this time machine, through the dial, into the barrels and balance wheels, and back out through the see-through sapphire caseback.
 

Finally, the watch is mounted on a timeless black alligator strap with square scales and is finished with an 18-carat white gold, triple-blade folding clasp that complements the timepiece’s two-tone design.

Like its Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet counterpart, the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Openworked 41mm also highlights the marriage between tradition and innovation via the Calibre 7139.

Following in the footsteps of the historic Calibre 5135, which was retired last year, the Calibre 7139 also opened technical and aesthetic avenues for AP. As CEO Ilaria Resta said in a press release about these new pieces, “Uniting the art of open working with ergonomic design, this new movement offers a contemporary take on a classic complication – reaffirming our commitment to crafting timepieces that resonate with modern lifestyles while honoring our heritage.”
 

Beyond the transparency of the mechanism’s elements, this watch succeeds because of its marriage of materials, uniting titanium with Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG), which emphasizes lightness. First discovered in the 1960s, BMGs are metallic alloys that, when rapidly cooled, take on a glossy finish while providing a high-strength structure. The bezel, caseback, and bracelet studs are crafted from this precious material, while the 41mm case, crown, and bracelet links are crafted from satin-finished titanium.