Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet Holding SA
Private
Industry Horological watchmaking
Founded 1875
Founder Jules-Louis Audemars
Edward-Auguste Piguet
Headquarters Le Brassus, Switzerland
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
  • Jasmine Audemars,
    Chair
  • Olivier Audemars,
    Vice Chair
  • Francois-Henry Bennahmias,
    CEO
Products Mechanical watches
Jewellery
Revenue Increase 1 billion CHF (2018)
Number of employees
 1450[1]
Subsidiaries Renaud & Papi SA
Centror SA
Website www.audemarspiguet.com/

Audemars Piguet SA (French pronunciation: ​[odmaʁ piɡɛ]), also known as AP, is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury mechanical watches. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875. The company has been family owned since its founding. One of their first achievements was creating the first repeater wristwatch in 1892. They are known mostly for the Royal Oak but make several other notable models. The current lineup of models includes the Royal Oak, Royal Oak concept, Royal Oak Offshore, Millenary, Jules Audemars, Haute Joaillerie, and Classique.[2]

History

Founding

Jules Louis Audemars began a partnership with Edward Auguste Piguet in 1875. The company was started in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. Both Audemars, and Piguet were previously watchmakers. Audemars created complex watch movements for other manufacturers to use. 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.[3][4]

Collections

Bracelet from an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

Royal Oak/Concept/Offshore

The Royal Oak is considered to be the most popular watch that Audemars Piguet currently manufactures. It was first introduced at the 1972 Baselworld.[5] Designed by Gérald Genta, it is considered to be the first luxury sports watch. The watch was inspired by traditional diving helmets and therefore featured exposed screw heads as well as a unique case design.[6][7] The watch also featured an integrated bracelet. To mark the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet hired Emmanuel Gueit to design a new watch known as the Royal Oak Offshore. The Offshore had a much larger case (42mm compared to the original 39mm) and was thought to be tougher than the original. The new watch proved to be just as successful as the original.[6]

Royal Oak Offshore

Millenary

Audemars Piguet Quantième perpétue containing a perpetual calendar

The Millenary collection first began in 1995. The idea behind the unique design was to give the viewer a three-dimensional take on a standard watch movement. They are characterized by oval cases as well as domed sapphire crystal. The off-centred watch dial is notable with a view of the balance wheel. Audemars Piguet claims that their calibre 4104 is reversed to allow more components to be seen on the dial. All of the Millenary watches share the case and a unique Damaskeening or Côtes de Genève across the movement dial.[2]

Jules Audemars

Named after one of the founders, the lineup takes cues from more traditional Audemars Piguet designs. Jules Audemars created about 20 very complex movements in 1875. He later used them as collateral when both he and Piguet began their company in 1881.[8] These movements were the beginning of Audemars Piguet. All the watches in the collection are circular. Many notable complications are present including the tourbillon, minute repeater, and perpetual calendar.[2]

References

  1. ↑ World Tempus (April 2013). "Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias, a new master". WorldTempus.
  2. 1 2 3 "Audemars Piguet - Swiss Luxury Watches". Audemars Piguet - Le Brassus. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  3. ↑ "A History of Audemars Piguet | AP Watches". Govberg Jewelers. 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  4. ↑ "Audemars Piguet: A Brand History | Editorial | The Watch Gallery". Editorial. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  5. ↑ "Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 45th Anniversary | History of the Royal Oak". Govberg Jewelers. 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  6. 1 2 "History of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak". Time and Watches. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  7. ↑ Williams, Alex (2016). "How the Royal Oak Watch Became a Cult Classic". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  8. ↑ "Jules Audemars". Audemars Piguet - Le Brassus. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
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