Short answer
A Code 11.59 chronograph fake is a copy of the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph. The genuine watch runs an in-house caliber 4401 inside a 41 mm case with an octagonal midcase and openworked lugs. Copies sell from $250 to $900. Genuine steel chronographs list near $40,000. The two watches differ most at the caseback, where the movement sits in plain view.
Genuine reference points
- Case diameter: 41 mm. Round bezel, octagonal midcase, round caseback.
- Crystal: double-curved sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
- Lugs: openworked and welded to the case, not stamped as one block.
- Movement: caliber 4401, selfwinding, column wheel, vertical clutch, flyback.
- Power reserve: 70 hours.
- Frequency: 4 Hz, 28,800 vibrations per hour.
- Caseback: sapphire display back on steel and gold references.
Case and dial checks
Start with the midcase. The octagon has eight flat faces and sharp transitions between brushed and polished surfaces. Copies show rounded edges at those transitions and thicker bezel walls.
Measure thickness with calipers. A copy that carries a modular chronograph movement runs 1 mm to 2 mm deeper than the genuine case.
Check the lug ends against the strap or bracelet. Openworked lugs need tight tolerances, and a loose fit shows up on replicas.
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Read the dial text with a loupe. Printing on copies shows uneven stroke weight and stray ink at the base of letters. Subdial spacing is a second check: the counters must sit where caliber 4401 puts them.
Movement checks
The display back settles most questions. Caliber 4401 has its own bridge geometry, a column wheel under the chronograph bridge, and engraving cut into the metal. Copies use a Valjoux 7750 base or an Asian chronograph module. The tells are the bridge layout and the finish: laser etching in place of cut engraving, and perlage laid over a flat surface.
Run a timing machine. A healthy 4401 holds a rate close to zero seconds per day with amplitude above 280 degrees. A 7750-based copy shows a rate that swings when the chronograph starts.
Price and paperwork
Price is the blunt filter. The steel chronograph lists near $40,000 and trades on the secondary market in the same range. A $500 offer is a copy. Ask for the serial on the caseback, the warranty card, and service records. Audemars Piguet does not service or authenticate counterfeits, so an owner of a copy has no factory support.
Questions for a seller
- Photos of the caseback with the movement in focus.
- Timing machine printout with the chronograph running and stopped.
- Case thickness measured with calipers.
- Serial number photo and matching warranty card.
No photo set answers everything. A hands-on inspection by a watchmaker who services Audemars Piguet movements settles the question.