When we talk about Audemars Piguet, the conversation almost always centers on the Royal Oak. It?s almost a cliche at this point to critique AP as a brand that focuses on a single product line, but it also speaks to the enduring popularity of the Royal Oak that the press, collector community, and those who simply admire the watch that they can?t stop talking about. The Royal Oak is impressive, to be sure, but as someone who doesn?t really have eyes on owning one and spends his workday considering the place of brands like AP in the larger context of the watch community, I have to admit that I find myself wishing that the brand would make a concerted effort to leverage the Royal Oak?s popularity into creating something new and different. The brand, after all, has existed since 1875. It had almost 100 years of history under its belt before the first Royal Oak left the manufacture. It goes without saying that they?re capable of making all kinds of incredible watches that don?t have octagonal cases or integrated bracelets. 
Like many, I was excited when AP debuted the Code 11.59 line in 2019. Finally, it seemed like the brand realized that being a one-trick Royal Oak pony wasn?t the best look for a house in the so-called ?Holy Trinity? of watchmaking. Unfortunately, the reaction to the Code fell rather flat. While the watches have always had their supporters, they were met with a certain amount of derision by peanut galleries on every major watch website. To make matte...