As watchmakers celebrated anniversaries of iconic models, 2024 saw an array of limited editions and upgraded timepieces released throughout the year.
Audemars Piguet
Firstly, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet marked its fifth anniversary. Introduced in 2019, the initial collection included 13 references such as a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar, and a minute repeater supersonnerie.
The enigmatic name "Code 11.59" stands for Challenge, Own, Dare, Evolve, while 11.59 symbolises one minute before midnight -- a moment of transition into a new day.
Audemars Piguet's design team collaborated with guilloché craftsman Yann von Kaenel to reimagine the dial, which debuted on stainless steel models launched last year. The updated aesthetic now graces seven new watches in 18-carat pink gold, available in 38mm and 41mm diameters.
Meticulously engraved by hand, the base dies feature concentric circles reminiscent of ripples on water. These circles are further adorned with hundreds of tiny holes, which interact beautifully with light. The dials are then coloured using a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) or galvanic process, preserving and accentuating the contours formed during stamping.
The palette includes a captivating green, a luminous light blue, and "Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50". A black dial paired with a pink-gold and black-ceramic case lends the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph 41mm a bold, contemporary look.
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton celebrated a decade of its Escale collection with a trilogy of métiers d'art timepieces and four new time-only watches, enriching a line traditionally known for its complications.
The design draws inspiration from the maison's trunk-making heritage. The rose-gold three-hand models feature silvery or blue dials, whose textures evoke the finely-grained surface of the Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas.
The dial texture recalls the finely-grained surface of Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas.
The design of the Escale is inspired by Louis Vuitton's trunk-making.
The 39mm case incorporates lugs resembling the angled, riveted brass brackets of Louis Vuitton trunks. At each quarter, angled and riveted gold markers secure the central dial and outer minuterie, whose gold studs mimic the nails along the trunks' lozine.
An octagonal crown topped with a dome, resembling a trunk rivet, bears the Louis Vuitton Monogram. The platinum Escale model boasts a Gibeon meteorite dial, while a diamond-set variation features a black onyx dial.
Each piece showcases the expertise at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. The self-winding mechanical movement is certified by the Geneva Observatory as a high-precision Swiss chronometer.
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe commemorated the 25th anniversary of its Twenty~4 collection with a striking new purple-dial edition. Designed as an elegant, all-day companion for active women, the Twenty~4 was Patek Philippe's first exclusively feminine line.
Rose gold cuff-style model for the 25th anniversary of the Twenty~4.
The original quartz model from 1999 featured a rectangular, art-deco-inspired "manchette" or cuff design. In 2018, Patek Philippe introduced the Twenty~4 Automatic with a round case.
For its silver jubilee, the cuff-style quartz model appears in a rose gold case adorned with brilliant-cut diamonds. The purple dial is crafted through a meticulous process: embossing a concentric wave pattern onto the plate, coating it with successive layers of translucent purple lacquer, and finishing with a clear lacquer. Once polished, the result is a dial with striking depth and subtle light effects.
A. Lange & Söhne
The 1990s revival of A. Lange & Söhne included the launch of the Lange 1 in 1994. To celebrate the model's 30th anniversary, the German brand unveiled limited editions of the Lange 1 and Little Lange 1, with diameters of 38.5mm and 36.8mm, respectively.
The iconic design combines an off-centre dial layout with an outsize date inspired by the Five-Minute Clock at Dresden's Semper Opera House. The limited editions, available in pink gold or platinum, feature 925 silver dials in blue or faced with black onyx.
Limited-edition Lange 1 and Little Lange 1 in pink gold with a blue dial in 925 silver.
On the left side, the time display is offset by the outsize date, power-reserve indicator, and subsidiary seconds dial on the right, arranged along an imaginary vertical axis. Their proportions adhere to the Golden Ratio, exemplifying harmonious design.
The four models are powered by a manually wound calibre with a 72-hour power reserve.
Longines
Longines revisited 1954, when the Conquest became its first product line to secure intellectual property protection in Berne, Switzerland.
Marking the collection's 70th anniversary, Longines introduced the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve, inspired by a model from 1959.
Stainless steel Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve with a champagne colour dial.
The power reserve indicator is ingeniously positioned on a central uncoiling disc, pointing to the depletion level on an external coiling disc. The self-winding mechanical movement with a 72-hour power reserve delivers magnetic resistance 10 times greater than the ISO 764 standard.
Rewinding is achieved by turning the crown or through wrist movement. Housed in a redesigned 38mm stainless steel case, the commemorative model is available in three dial colours: anthracite, black or champagne.
