Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Tourbillon Openworked Limited Edition Ceramic — Celestial Blue Skeletonised | Ref. 26600NB.OO.D346KB.01

When Audemars Piguet unveiled the Code 11.59 in 2019, the intention was clear: to create an entirely new round case that could stand independently of the Royal Oak's angular legend. The 26600NB represents that vision elevated to its most rarefied tier — a limited-edition tourbillon in a 41 mm blue ceramic case, one of the most technically and aesthetically ambitious pieces in the modern AP catalogue. The double-curved sapphire crystal above and the exhibition caseback below frame a view of pure mechanical theatre.

The movement within is governed by a flying tourbillon, that most visually captivating of complications — a rotating cage that compensates for the effects of gravity on the escapement, here presented without a bridge overhead so that the full rotation is unobstructed. Gold-tone hands sweep across an openworked blue dial, while an 18-carat white gold bezel and lugs provide a luminous contrast to the deep ceramic case. The round case architecture, with its complex multi-part construction, represents a meaningful departure from AP's integrated-bracelet tradition and rewards close examination.

A blue rubber strap secured by an AP folding clasp maintains a modern, sporty connection to the wrist. Water resistance is rated to 30 metres. With box and papers present and a price that reflects both its limited-edition status and the extraordinary finishing demanded by a skeletonised tourbillon in ceramic, the 26600NB is a destination piece for the most discerning AP connoisseur — one who values rarity, complication, and avant-garde design in equal measure.