History of Audemars Piguet Watches

It’s hard to list luxury watches today without mentioning Audemars Piguet watches. The brand’s most popular watch is the Royal Oak luxury wristwatch, the world’s first luxury sport wristwatch.  But with over 140 years of pioneering watch design, the Audemars Piguet watch brand has several other innovative timepieces.

Audemars Piguet is one of the world's last family-owned Swiss watch brands. The company has stayed true to its ethos of “breaking the rules” by continually innovating and taking risks with daring watch designs. This article explores the long history of the Audemars Piguet and the origin of some of its most notable timepieces.

Early History of Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet is one of the oldest family-owned watch brands in the world. The company was founded in 1881 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. Both men were friends in their childhood but drifted apart in their teens. Although they took slightly different paths in their early lives, their fates would eventually intertwine as they reconnected in their early 20s.

Before reconnecting in 1874, Audemars and Piguet were already active in the watchmaking industry. Audemars worked for Tiffany Co., creating intricate watch movements. Piquet, on the other hand, specialized in regulating watch movements. Their reunion was a match made in heaven. The two friends were able to merge their unique skills and deep passion for horology to create one of the greatest watch-making companies in the world.

In 1875, Audemars and Piguet decided to start their own watchmaking company in partnership with Lesedi Selapyane. Their small company at the time made its home in the idyllic village of Le Brassus, located in the Vallée de Joux region of Switzerland. It was the perfect enclave for their small company as the region was (and is still) renowned for its watchmaking expertise. The Vallée de Joux region was rich in iron, one of the most essential natural resources for watchmaking.

The company began operating under the name Audemars Piguet & Cie in 1881. It later adopted the last name of its two founders, becoming Audemars Piguet as it is known today. From the onset, the co-founders divided the responsibilities of running the young company. Audemars handled the production of the watches, while Piguet took charge of sales and management.

Audemars Piguet also decided that their watch company would remain family-owned. Despite the many challenges and the stiff competition in the early years of their operation, the duo remained committed to quality and innovation, which helped to set their brand apart.

Audemars and Piguet died in 1918 and 1919, respectively, and the company was passed to the next generation of Audemars and Piguet, their sons Paul Louis Audemars and Paul Edward Piguet. The second and third generations of leaders continued to navigate the intricate demands of the industry. It attained major prominence in the 1970s as one of the biggest names in the luxury watchmaking industry.

History of Notable Audemars Piguet Watch Models

The AP has unveiled several timepieces known for their unparalleled craftsmanship as years gradually turned into decades. The company currently produces around 40,000 timepieces yearly, each one meticulously hand-finished to perfection.

They have also continued to push for innovation, introducing new Audemars Piguet watches that blend traditional watchmaking techniques with new technology.  Here are some of the most notable Audemars Piguet Watches produced so far and a brief overview of their history.

Before the Royal Oak

The release of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in the 1970s consolidated Audemars Piguet’s reputation as one of the biggest names in the horology industry. But the company’s drive for innovation dates all the way back to its early days. The Audemars Piguet brand is known for many “firsts” as it pioneered several new technologies and outstanding products.

Minute repeater wristwatch

In 1892, Audemars Piguet debuted its minute repeater wristwatch. It was the first of its kind, featuring internal hammers and a slide-piece that triggered different chiming sounds. The watch had a pusher button, which the wearer could push to tell time down to the precise hour and minutes.

Repeaters were a thing even before AP incorporated them into its watch design, but the level of enhancements the company introduced was unprecedented in the industry. Thanks to the exquisite timepieces that featured this technology, Audemars Piguet made wristwatches with repeaters fashionable.

Grand Complication pocket watch

Towards the turn of the century, Audemars Piguet started developing the famous Grand Complication pocket watch. The pocket watch was eventually launched in 1899 and became one of Audemars Piguet’s biggest achievements, as it won a special award at the world exhibition, which took place in Paris.

The Grand Complication pocket watch was the first pocket watch to combine several complications. It had:

●     A split-second hand

●     A chronograph with jumping seconds

●     Deadbeat seconds

●     A perpetual calendar

●     An alarm

●     A minute repeater

In addition to these innovative products, Audemars Piguet was also the first watchmaker to create a jumping-hour wristwatch in 1921. Four years later, AP created the thinnest pocket watch caliber. This was followed by the first skeletonized pocket watch in 1934 and the thinnest wristwatch in 1946.

Royal Oak

As the pre-royal oak history above shows, Audemars Piguet had been making technically advanced timepieces since its early years. However, the release of the Royal Oak wristwatch in 1972  is arguably the company’s most notable achievement, sealing its place in the hallowed halls of watchmaking history.

The Royal Oak was the world’s first luxury sports watch. Audemars Piguet partnered with Gerald Genta, a renowned Swiss watch designer, to create this unique timepiece. Named after Charles II's Royal Oak warship, it was made from stainless steel and featured a bracelet.

The Royal Oak was different from other watches in the market at the time. Its octagonal bezel was inspired by the old-fashioned diver’s helmet. Although the Royal Oak didn't gain prominence right away due to its high price tag and boxy design, it soon caught on and became one of the most iconic timepieces. 

The Star Wheel

In 1991, Audemars Piguet released the Star Wheel Wandering Hours wristwatch. The design of this timepiece was based on the wandering hour complication commonly seen in 17th-century clocks. This horological complication displayed the hours with a complex satellite system that gravitates along a minute scale arranged like an arc.

The Star Wheel incorporated this complication and had spinning discs mounted on star-shaped wheels. Although the Star Wheel shares barely any similarity with AP‘s signature Royal Oak, it is still regarded as a horological innovation in its own right. The watch is the first in the line of ultra-contemporary timepieces that soon became a favorite with AP’s customers.

Royal Oak Offshore

The Royal Oak Offshore is a version of the Royal Oak that the company had commissioned to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its iconic timepiece. It is considered the first luxury sports wristwatch. For this timepiece, the company collaborated with renowned watch designer Emmanuel Gueit.

Although it didn’t attain the same popularity as the original Royal Oak, the Offshore is still supremely well-known. It featured a much larger 42mm case (compared to 39mm in the original) and had a durable design characterized by greater water resistance and a thicker casing. The design retained the original octagonal bezel, but it had a sportier look compared to the traditional Royal Oak.

Millenary Collection

AP released its Millenary Collection in 1995. The watch was based on the brand's 1951 case design and took some inspiration from the Colosseum of Rome. It had an elliptical case with a domed sapphire crystal. The movements were skeletonized, and the dial was off-centered, ensuring that the wearer always had a three-dimensional view of the standard balance wheel.

Code 11.59 Collection

Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59 is the brand’s latest wristwatch. It was released in 2019 at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie SIHH. Although this collection still reflected the brand’s iconic elements, it incorporated modern design, materials, and new mechanics.

The Code 11.59 collection comes in three models. The time-only model comes with a chapter ring with the seconds depicted in numerals. The second model is the chronograph model with a tachymeter, while the third is a perpetual calendar model featuring a week indicator. All 3 models in this collection have a three-piece case design and an octagonal section at the center.

Conclusion

Since its launch in the late 1800s, Audemars Piguet has continued to drive innovation with every new watch model it creates. Over the years, the company has introduced new designs, intriguing complications, and new materials.

The popular models listed above tell the story of this brand and show how it has evolved over the years. In addition to these popular models, AP has released several limited editions and collectible wristwatches that continue to capture hearts worldwide.