Audemars Piguet Unveils Supersonnerie Minute Repeaters and Stone-Dial Code 11.59 Watches

Few complications ask as much of a watchmaker as the minute repeater, and fewer still have been rethought from the inside out. Audemars Piguet Supersonnerie technology did exactly that when it arrived in 2016 in the Royal Oak Concept RD#1, and the Manufacture in Le Brassus is now extending it across three new references in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet and Royal Oak collections.

The chiming trio arrives alongside a quieter, more tactile story: two 38mm Code 11.59 Selfwinding models dressed in natural stone dials. From the acoustic complexity of a repeater to the millennia-old character of gold obsidian and black onyx, the release explores very different facets of the same savoir-faire.

The split is telling. Three of the five watches are high complications priced in Swiss francs, and two are time-only pieces where the dial does all the talking. Both, though, depend on finishing, whether that means tuning how a gong resonates or polishing a stone until its surface reads as pure depth.

A brief digression on the technology itself. Supersonnerie was the result of eight years of interdisciplinary development involving watchmakers, musicians and researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). It transformed the acoustic performance of a wristwatch through patented gongs mounted on a soundboard, an innovative construction and a new regulator. Today it equips caliber 2953, the manual-winding movement behind all three new references: 30mm across, 6mm thick, 362 parts and 32 jewels, beating at 3 Hz with a minimum power reserve of 72 hours.

Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie in Titanium

The first of two additions to the 42mm Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie line is crafted entirely in titanium, from the 14mm-thick case and screw-down caseback and crown to the integrated bracelet with its AP folding clasp. It pairs the light, technical metal with a satin-brushed smoked green sunburst dial that darkens toward the edge, a green small seconds counter, 18k white gold Royal Oak hands and silver-toned 18k pink gold hour-markers filled with luminescent material. Water resistance is 20m. In our view, it is the most modern-looking of the three.

Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie in Pink Gold

The second Royal Oak Supersonnerie is presented in 18k pink gold for the first time, carried through to the screw-locked crown and caseback and the integrated bracelet. Audemars Piguet pairs the warm 42mm case with a brown Grande Tapisserie dial, a brown small seconds counter and pink gold Royal Oak hands and hour-markers with luminescent material, keeping the whole watch in one rich, tonal register. Like its titanium sibling, it measures 14mm thick and is water-resistant to 20m, with the signature alternation of satin-brushed and polished surfaces playing across the case.

Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Minute Repeater Supersonnerie

The third reference is a new 41mm iteration of the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Minute Repeater Supersonnerie first presented in 2023. Crafted in 18k white gold, its case middle is entirely polished to accentuate its radiance, and the caseback doubles as the Supersonnerie soundboard, with fine openings that create a resonance chamber. The smoked sapphire dial has a subtle transparent effect that reveals the inner workings of caliber 2953, while the minute track and the rim of the small seconds counter are realized in galvanic growth, adding texture and depth around white gold baton hands and a silver-toned snailed inner bezel. The 13.6mm case is water-resistant to 20m and rides on a grey alligator strap with an 18k white gold folding clasp. It is the one that lets you watch the mechanism you are listening to.

Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding in Gold Obsidian

Then the stones. Two new 38mm Selfwinding models join the Code 11.59 collection, uniting Haute Horlogerie craftsmanship with materials shaped by nature. Both use a 9.6mm-thick case with a double-curved glareproofed sapphire crystal and a sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 30m, and both run on selfwinding caliber 5909, a 3.9mm-thin movement beating at 4 Hz with a 60-hour power reserve. Formed over millennia, gold obsidian features mineral inclusions whose reflections are drawn out through careful finishing. A sunburst motif enhances the stone’s dark surface, which comes alive against the 18k yellow gold case in a dialogue between shadow and radiance, framed by a shimmering brown inner bezel and yellow gold hands. A shimmering black alligator strap with a yellow gold pin buckle completes it.

Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding in Black Onyx

The second stone model combines an 18k pink gold case with a mirror-polished black onyx dial, baguette-cut diamond hour-markers totaling roughly 0.37 carats and pink gold hands. Onyx is renowned for its depth and intensity, and it demands the utmost care throughout finishing to reveal the purity of its surface. A shiny black alligator strap with a pink gold pin buckle keeps the look sleek. Our pick of the pair, for the contrast it strikes between the warmth of pink gold, the black of the stone, and the brilliance of the diamonds.

Pricing is published for all five. The Code 11.59 Minute Repeater Supersonnerie (Ref. 26395BC.OO.D009CR.01) is CHF 325,000, the titanium Royal Oak (Ref. 26591TI.OO.1252TI.08) is CHF 351,100, and the pink gold Royal Oak (Ref. 26591OR.OO.1252OR.01) is CHF 391,400. The gold obsidian Code 11.59 (Ref. 77410BA.OO.A604CR.01) is $57,500, and the black onyx (Ref. 77410OR.OO.A001CR.01) is $68,500. More on the collection’s craft is on Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59 page.

One release, two moods: a repeater engineered to be heard, and a stone dial made to be looked at for a long time.

Timely FAQs

Adrienne Faurote

Editor in Chief · Haute Time

As a former New Yorker, now a “Miamian,” Adrienne Faurote joined Haute Living in August of 2021. She currently serves as the Haute Media Group Editor-in-Chief, overseeing all editorial platforms within the Haute Media Group while also maintaining her role as Fashion, Jewelry & Watch Director. Prior to her position at Haute Living, Faurote was the Market Editor at Marie Claire Magazine US, amassing over ten years in the industry, becoming an authoritative voice in all things fashion, jewelry, and watches.