Audemars Piguet’s New Supersonnerie Watches: Royal Oak and Code 11.59

Audemars Piguet’s new Supersonnerie watches for November 2026 give its most musical complication three very different identities: a titanium Royal Oak with a smoked green dial, a pink gold Royal Oak with brown Grande Tapisserie, and a white gold Code 11.59 with smoked sapphire. All three use the hand-wound Calibre 2953, which sounds the time on demand. The choice is as much about the case, dial and experience of wearing the watch as the mechanism inside.

For anyone researching the new AP Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie or the latest Code 11.59, the important questions go beyond colour. How does the chime work? Is Supersonnerie the same as a grande sonnerie? Does a shared movement mean a shared sound? And what should a UK buyer establish before discussing a purchase? Here is how the three references compare.

The three new AP Supersonnerie models at a glance

These are three executions of a minute repeater, rather than three newly developed movements. The exact reference matters: photographs, prices and specifications for an earlier dial version should not automatically be applied to the new watch. Model sources: titanium Royal Oak, pink gold Royal Oak and white gold Code 11.59.

Titanium Royal Oak Supersonnerie: 26591TI.OO.1252TI.08

Titanium Royal Oak 26591TI.OO.1252TI.08 — catalogue view.

Titanium Royal Oak Supersonnerie, angled AP press image.

The titanium Royal Oak pairs a 42 mm case and matching integrated bracelet with a smoked green sunburst dial. It is a useful distinction from the grid-like Tapisserie pattern many people associate with the collection. The colour darkens towards the edge, while the radial finish gives the centre its changing reflection. AP specifies luminous hands and markers and a titanium folding clasp. AP’s official specification.

Of the three, this is the version we would begin with for someone attracted to the Royal Oak’s architecture but less interested in the overt warmth of gold. That is an aesthetic judgement, not a claim about how it sounds. Titanium alone cannot tell you whether a particular repeater has the tone you prefer, and no unmeasured claim about loudness should replace listening to the actual watch.

Pink gold Royal Oak Supersonnerie: 26591OR.OO.1252OR.01

Pink gold Royal Oak 26591OR.OO.1252OR.01 — catalogue view.

Pink gold Royal Oak Supersonnerie, angled studio view.

The pink gold Royal Oak takes the same 42 × 14 mm proportions in a warmer direction. Its 18ct pink gold case and bracelet surround a brown Grande Tapisserie dial, with matching gold hands and hour markers. The small-seconds display sits at six o’clock, leaving the main dial comparatively restrained for such a complicated watch. AP’s official specification.

This is the clearest visual contrast with the titanium model. Brown and pink gold bring the material into the foreground; the green sunburst version puts more emphasis on light across the dial. A side-by-side fitting would be more revealing than choosing from photographs. In particular, assess how the bracelet settles around the wrist and how the case sits beneath a cuff. A diameter figure cannot answer either question.

White gold Code 11.59 Supersonnerie: 26395BC.OO.D009CR.01

White gold Code 11.59 26395BC.OO.D009CR.01 — catalogue view.

Code 11.59 Supersonnerie photographed on fabric.

The Code 11.59 uses an 18ct white gold case, measuring 41 mm across and 13.6 mm thick. Its grey smoked sapphire dial offers a view into the movement, with white gold stick hands and a silver-grey inner bezel. The supplied grey alligator strap fastens with a white gold AP folding clasp. One useful detail in AP’s specification is easily missed: a grey textured rubber strap is available upon request. That does not mean a second strap is automatically included. AP’s official specification.

The sapphire changes the way the complication is presented. Rather than concentrating attention on a textured, largely closed dial, this version makes the machinery part of the view. It would be our starting point for a collector who wants to examine the mechanism from the front. Still, its one-millimetre diameter advantage over the Royal Oak should not be read as a promise of a better fit: a strap and an integrated bracelet distribute the watch differently.

How a minute repeater tells the time

A minute repeater lets you hear the time when its case-side control is activated. Low notes count the hours, pairs of notes count completed quarters, and high notes count the minutes after the last quarter. At 10:37, the sequence is ten hour strikes, two quarter pairs and seven remaining minutes. It does not strike 37 separate minute notes. AP describes 720 possible time sequences across a twelve-hour cycle. AP’s guide to chiming watches.

What Supersonnerie changes — and what it does not

Supersonnerie is AP’s acoustic technology. Its central idea is to transmit the gongs’ vibrations through a dedicated soundboard rather than relying on the conventional attachment to the movement plate, with case construction helping the sound travel. AP compares the principle to the resonating body of a guitar. It is not another name for automatic striking: a grande sonnerie sounds hours and quarters automatically, while these watches are minute repeaters activated on demand. AP’s explanation of Supersonnerie.

Calibre 2953: hand-wound, with a 72-hour power reserve

All three references use Calibre 2953: a manually wound movement with a 72-hour power reserve, operating at 3 Hz, or 21,600 vibrations per hour. It contains 362 components and 32 jewels. Hours, minutes and small seconds accompany the minute repeater; these models do not add a date, chronograph or tourbillon. AP lists 20 metres of water resistance for each watch. Official Calibre 2953 and case specifications.

For ownership, the first point is practical: wearing the watch does not wind it automatically. Before collecting it, ask for a demonstration of winding and repeater operation using the instructions for the exact reference. Treat the water-resistance figure with equal care. It is not a reason to regard an elaborate chiming watch as a swimming companion, or to operate its repeater control in water.

The history: RD#1 in 2015, Code 11.59 in 2019

Supersonnerie did not begin with these new dials. AP presented the Royal Oak Concept RD#1 prototype in 2015 after eight years of development involving EPFL and specialists including musicians. The research revisited the case itself, drawing inspiration from older repeaters and musical instruments. AP’s RD-series history.

The Code 11.59 Minute Repeater Supersonnerie also predates this smoked-sapphire reference. The GPHG archive records its launch in 2019, with an enamel-dial model carrying reference 26395BC.OO.D321CR.01. That distinction prevents a common confusion: a later material or dial execution is not the original launch of the complication in the collection. The 2019 GPHG entry.

Watch: official AP Supersonnerie footage

AP’s current Code 11.59 craftsmanship feature includes workshop footage showing a grey-dial Minute Repeater Supersonnerie being handled. It is useful for seeing the watch in movement and workshop light. The clip is presented here as official workshop footage, not as a controlled comparison of the three new references. See AP’s current Code 11.59 feature.

Official AP workshop footage. Video credit: Audemars Piguet. For the origins of the technology, the following official Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie film provides historical context. It is an older film, not footage of the November 2026 Royal Oak releases.

UK price, availability and what to establish before buying

We could not verify a current public GBP retail price for these exact references from AP’s UK product pages. Obtain a dated quotation from AP confirming the reference, tax treatment and availability. Converting a reported Swiss-franc launch price into pounds does not produce an official UK retail price. Nor does the appearance of a product page establish immediate stock or a particular waiting time.

For a secondary-market example, begin with the complete reference and supporting documents. Ask about service history, the current condition of the repeater, any replaced parts and what accompanies the watch. On a bracelet model, establish which links are included and whether it fits. For the Code 11.59, clarify the strap and clasp supplied, particularly if an additional strap appears in the listing.

A specialist inspection should assess the watch as a whole, not merely confirm that it makes a sound. Ask who will handle servicing and how an estimate will be obtained; we have not verified a fixed service cost or turnaround for these new references. Rarity and technical complexity are reasons to research a purchase carefully, not evidence that its resale value will rise.

Which of the three makes the strongest case?

The titanium Royal Oak is our visual choice for the contrast between green sunburst and the integrated case-and-bracelet design. The pink gold Royal Oak puts warm metal and traditional Grande Tapisserie at the centre of the experience. The Code 11.59 makes the movement more visible and offers a different wearing proposition on a strap. Those are meaningful differences even before a single note is struck.

If you already own an AP and are considering a change, Finer Lux offers a free Audemars Piguet valuation in London. We assess the particular reference, condition and accompanying items before confirming an offer. This article is an independent guide and does not indicate that these new Supersonnerie references are currently in our stock.