Audemars Piguet Holding SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland.[2][3] The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring the name Audemars Piguet & Cie in 1881.[4][5][6] The company has been family-owned since its founding.[2][7]
The company is best known for introducing the Royal Oak wristwatch in 1972, which helped the brand rise to prominence within the watchmaking industry.
Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet knew each other in their childhood but were not reconnected until 1874, when they were in their early twenties.[12] In 1875, they formed a partnership with Lesedi Selapyane and began their business.[12][13] In 1881, Audemars Piguet & Cie was officially founded, and was based in Le Brassus, a village inside the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland.[2][4][5]Both Audemars and Piguet were previously watchmakers. Audemars created complex watch movements for other watch manufacturers such as Tiffany Co. to use.[5] Piguet specialized in the regulation of watch movements. Once partnered, they split the responsibilities while operating their own company: Audemars was in charge of production and technical aspects while Piguet focused on sales and management.[14][15]
The second-generation company leaders included Paul Louis Audemars and Paul Edward Piguet, and the third generation included Jacques Louis Audemars and Paulette Piguet.[7]
In the 1970s, Audemars Piguet rose to an important position in watchmaking industry, especially after introducing the Royal Oak collection.[12]
Audemars Piguet's slogan is "To Break the Rules, You Must First Master Them", introduced in 2012.[16][17]
The fourth-generation company leaders are both from the Audemars family, including Jasmine Audemars and Olivier Frank Edward Audemars.[7] Currently, the company is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, and produces around 40,000 timepieces annually.[18][19][20]
The following are some notable inventions of Audemars Piguet:
In December 2018, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released a report assigning environmental ratings for 15 major watch manufacturers and jewelers in Switzerland.[34][35] Audemars Piguet was assigned the lowest environmental rating, "Latecomers/Non-transparent", suggesting the manufacturer had taken very few actions addressing the impact of its manufacturing activities on the environment and climate change.[34][35]
The current lineup of Audemars Piguet watch collections include Royal Oak, Royal Oak Concept, Royal Oak Offshore, [Re]Master and Code 11.59.[36]
The Royal Oak is considered to be the most popular watch that Audemars Piguet currently manufactures.[37][12][8][13] It was first presented at the 1972 Baselworld, during the quartz crisis.[38][39] Designed by Gérald Genta, who is also responsible for designing other notable timepieces including the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the Royal Oak model is considered to be the first luxury sports watch in the world.[40] Named after warships, which in turn, reference Charles II's Royal Oak.[41] The watch was inspired by traditional diving helmets and therefore featured exposed screw heads as well as a unique case design.[42][43] The watch also featured an integrated steel bracelet.[44]
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet hired a young designer, Emmanuel Gueit, to design a new watch known as the Royal Oak Offshore.[45][46] The Offshore was formally introduced in 1993, with a much larger case (42mm compared to the original 39mm) which was thought to be tougher than the original.[47] The new watch proved to be just as successful as the original.[42]
The [Re]Master01, a self-winding chronograph, was launched in 2020 as a limited edition of 500.[48] Subsequently the [Re]Master02, a tribute to a 1960 Brutalist-inspired watch, was launched in Spring 2024.[49] This watch was issued as a limited edition of 250.[50]
Released at the "Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) 2019", the Code 11.59 collection is the latest addition to the Audemars Piguet lineup.[51] The collection boasts several unique characteristics. All Code 11.59 watches feature a chapter ring with numerals depicting seconds for time-only models, a tachymeter (watch) for the chronograph model, and a week indicator for the perpetual calendar model. [52] The crystals on the watches in this collection feature a unique curvature which changes the way the dial appears at certain angles. All the Code 11.59 watches feature a three-piece-case design with an octagonal section in the middle.[53]
Grosse Pièce is a pocket watch that established a new record for Audemars Piguet, becoming the most expensive watch from the company sold at an auction[54]. Audemars Piguet ‘Grosse Pièce’ is not a usual pocket watch. The watch was made for the English market and stands as one of the most historically significant timepieces ever created.
It is the only watch made by Audemars Piguet with celestial complication. In 8 December it was sold at Sotheby's for a record $7.7 Milion making it the most expensive watch ever sold by Audemars Piguet. [55]
