AUDEMARS PIGUET WRISTWATCH OVER THE YEARS: A CONSISTENT SHOWCASE OF QUALITY

Let us take a quick fun trip to Basel in April 1972. The event that year was named “Swiss Watch Show.” A few years later, this annual event will get a new name, BaselWorld. At this event, Audemars Piguet wristwatch launched a luxury steel wristwatch. 

This wristwatch features an integrated bracelet that defines a new arising thanks to a bold and revolutionary setup. This watch is the present-day Royal Oak. The acceptance was not the greatest but still enough for a timepiece at the time. 

However, following the first disconcert of the watch market, the fortune of this timepiece changed. The Royal Oak went on to cement its place as a big global success. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is one of the most celebrated timepieces ever made.

Hold on! Not so quick. Let’s take a rewind to decades before this time.

• How did it begin? 

• What was the plan from the beginning?

• Was there a change in direction? 

• How has that turned out over the years? 

Follow through to find out the answers to all of these questions.

Audemars Piguet Wristwatch: An Overview Of The Watchmaking Brand

Audemars Piguet Holding is a Swiss producer of luxury mechanical timepieces. The headquarter of the company is in Le Brassus, Switzerland. Audemars Piguet is the brainchild of two childhood friends: Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet.

The whole journey began in the Vallée de Joux in 1875. In 1881, the brand got the name Audemars Piguet & Cie. Ever since this watchmaking brand began operations, it continues to be a family enterprise.

Over the years, Audemars Piguet evolved into a highly regarded watchmaker. This watchmaking brand is best recognized as the producer of the Royal Oak timepiece. This is a product from the brand in 1972. 

Without a doubt, the Royal Oak watch boosted Audemars Piguet’s growth to fame. Since the production of this timepiece, Audemars Piguet remains a celebrated brand in the watchmaking industry. Regardless, this timepiece is not the only exceptional piece produced by this brand.

In fact, a major part of Audemars Piguet’s early feats came in 1892. This was the creation of the world’s first minute-repeating movement. This movement would go on to be a component of most wristwatches.

Additionally, in 1934, this brand created the first skeleton timepiece. Also, Audemars Piguet is the proud producer of some of the thinnest timepieces in the world. One of these watches is the ultra-thin automatic tourbillon wristwatch with the Caliber 2870 movement. This product hit the watch market in 1986.

The Audemars Piguet Business Profile

• Type Of Business: Private or Family Enterprise
• Industry of Operation: Luxury watchmaking
• Founding Year: 1875
• Founders: Jules Louis Audemars, and Edward Auguste Piguet
• Headquarters: Le Brassus, Switzerland
• Area Served: Worldwide
• Major Personnel: The Chairman, Jasmine Audemars, The Vice-Chairman, Olivier Audemars, and the CEO, Francois-Henry Bennahmias
• Product Range: Watches, and clocks
• Production Output: Approximately 40,000  as at 2018
• Revenue: 1.1 billion CHF (2018)
• Number of Employees: About 1450 workers
• Subsidiaries: Renaud & Papi SA, and Centror SA
• Website: www.audemarspiguet.com 

Audemars Piguet: Complete Backstory

It is impossible to understand how much value a brand holds until you trace its history. How did the brand begin? What was the initial direction? Was there a change in that direction? How did that work out for such a brand over the years?

In this section, we will apply this to the Audemars Piguet brand. Keep reading!

• The Early Years Of Audemars Piguet

It all began with a childhood friendship between Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. This childhood friendship was re-connected in 1874 after several years. At this point, both of them were in their early twenties. 

A year later, these two created a partnership that births the brand under review today. Meanwhile, it was not until 1881 that Audemars Piguet & Cie became an official establishment. 

The headquarter of the brand is in Le Brassus. This is a village you will find in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland.

• About These Two Founders

These two founders were formerly watchmakers themselves. For Audemars, he specialized in the creation of complex watch movements. These movements featured products from other watchmakers. One of such watch producers was Tiffany Co.

On the other hand, Piguet focused on regulating all of the watch movements produced at the time. As soon as the partnership began, these two divided the duties. And each of them continued to operate their own firm: 

First, Audemars was the brain behind the creation and technical aspects of the brand. While Piguet concentrated on making sales and managing the brand.

As expected, power changed hands over time. The second generation of leaders of the company had witnessed the directions of Paul Edward Piguet and Paul Louis Audemars. While the third generation of company leaders would welcome Jacques Louis Audemars and Paulette Piguet to the driving seats.

• The Brand’s Recent Advancements

In recent years, the brand enjoyed a couple of groundbreaking feats. 

First, in the 1970s, Audemars Piguet grew into a highly recognized watchmaking brand in the watchmaking industry. This feat is thanks to the introduction of the revolutionary Royal Oak collection.

Recently, the brand also welcomed the fourth generation of company leaders. Notably, both of them are from the Audemars family. These leaders are Olivier Frank, Edward Audemars and Jasmine Audemars.

Presently, this watchmaking brand is a strong part of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. More so, the brand produces about 40,000 wristwatches every year.

Audemars Piguet: A Consistent Showcase Of Quality Spanning the Centuries

As a watchmaking brand, Audemars Piguet made its initial truly groundbreaking production in 1892. This was the creation of the first minute repeater timepiece. And only a few years after this, the brand again introduced the “Grand Complication” pocket timepiece in 1899. 

The latter paraded seven distinct complications. These complications included the following:

• Alarm
• Chronograph with jumping seconds
• Minute repeater
• Split-seconds hand.
• Deadbeat seconds
• A grand and small strike
• Perpetual calendar

Nevertheless, there would be a slight change for the brand between 1918 and 1919. This is as both founders of the brand died in the span of those two years.

Still, the company continued to thrive in the competent hands of the founders’ sons, Paul Louis Audemars and Paul Edward Piguet. These two unitedly proceeded to carry on the family legacy of quality creations. 

They launched the creation that boasted the thinnest pocket timepiece caliber. This watch debuted in 1925. In addition, there was the production of the first skeletonized pocket wristwatch in 1934. Similarly, 1946 welcomed the launch of the thinnest timepiece as well. 

• Growing Into A Celebrated Watchmaking Brand

The watchmaking brand, Audemars Piguet established its spot in the annals of watchmaking history in the 1970s. That was the era the Quartz Crisis went on to rock the watchmaking industry to its roots.

Just like every other regular watchmaker at the time, it was a struggle to remain relevant for Audemars Piguet. This watchmaker recognized the pertinent need to do something daring. 

Therefore, a day before the Swiss Watch Show (now regarded as Baselworld in 1972, there was a twist. That day, the Managing Director of the firm had a meeting with iconic designer, Gerald Genta. 

The Managing Director informed Genta of the brand’s desire to create an entirely new collection of wristwatches. This time, the brand wishes to create a luxury sport timepiece. Plus, they wanted a design they could showcase at the event, the next day. 

As the legendary designer he is, Genta got that motivation in an instant. Immediately, this icon went to work on this revolutionary design. Interestingly, the outcome of the iconic dexterity of Gerald Genta is the Royal Oak collection.

• Present Day Audemars Piguet

Ten years after this iconic production, the flagship model earned a boost from designer Emmanuel Gueit. Thanks to this upgrade, we had the bigger Royal Oak Offshore. 

Thereafter, these strikingly unusual models would polarize in their first few years of existence. However, they have eventually grown to become the definitive offerings of this watchmaking brand. 

Regardless, Audemars Piguet continued to create and introduce fresh innovations as the year went by. 

For instance, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the brand at the turn of the century, we received a new and iconic innovation. The brand debuted a highly complicated timepiece. This timepiece showcased the sunrise, sunset, Equation of time, and a perpetual calendar system.

Therefore, you can either prefer one of the brand’s highly recognized models, like the Royal Oak. If not, you can choose one of the brand’s highly complex complications. Regardless of what your choice might be, understand that you’re rocking an iconic piece.  

Hence, whenever you rock an Audemars Piguet timepiece, know that you’re wearing quality. 

A Rundown Of The Brand’s Significant Products and Inventions

To give you a closer view, here are some of the most significant inventions of Audemars Piguet over the years.

• First, in 1892, the brand created the first wristwatch minute-repeating movement globally. This creation will later be sold to Louis Brandt frères of Omega SA.
• Also, in 1899, Audemars Piguet produced a “Grand Complication” pocket timepiece parading 7 different complications. These complications as stated earlier include alarm, chronograph with jumping seconds, a grand and small strike, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, deadbeat seconds, and split-seconds hand.
• The brand also launched the first skeleton watch in 1934.
• Then, in 1946, they manufactured the world’s thinnest watch. This wristwatch carried in it a 1.64-mm-thick movement.
• And, in 1972, the world welcomed the first luxury sport wristwatch, from Audemars Piguet. This was the Royal Oak timepiece. 
• Afterward, in 1986, there was the creation of an ultra-thin automatic tourbillon timepiece. This watch had the Caliber 2870 movement in it. It only measured a thickness density of 5.3 mm. This measurement includes the case.
• In the 21st century, 2006 to be precise, another innovation landed. The brand introduced the world’s first direct-impulse escapement. This watch’s design borrows from the design from watchmaker Robert Robin made in the 18th century.
• Then, in 2007/08, the brand created the first watch featuring a carbon case and a carbon movement. This follows the Royal Oak Carbon Concept.
• Then, in 2015, the world’s first mechanical chronograph hit the watchmaking scene. The watch carried an independent memory and three column-wheels. The name of this wristwatch is the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher.
• Finally, in 2019, the brand presented the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar.

The Current Lineup Of Audemars Piguet Watches

Currently, Audemars Piguet parades a good array of quality timepieces. They include:

• The Royal Oak Offshore
• The Royal Oak
• The Jules Audemars
• The Royal Oak Concept
• The Haute Joaillerie
• The Code 11.59
• The Millenary
• The Classique

Prominent Owners And Wearers Of Audemars Piguet Watches

Athletes

• Michael Schumacher: A German racing driver and a brand ambassador.
• LeBron James: An American basketball player who also doubles as a brand ambassador.
• Serena Williams: An American tennis player who doubles as a brand ambassador.
• Lionel Messi: An Argentine football player. He is also a brand ambassador.
• Sachin Tendulkar: An Indian cricket player and a brand ambassador.

Celebrities

• John Mayer: An American musician
• Kevin Hart: An American comedian
• Arnold Schwarzenegger: An American movie star and previous California governor
• Tom Cruise: A popular American actor
• Harry Styles: An English singer musician
• Lu Han: A Chinese musician and movie star
• Kim Kardashian: An American television star
• Jay-Z: An American rapper
• J-Hope: Band member of BTS

Royalty

• Mohammad bin Salman: He is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
• Juan Carlos I of Spain: The King of Spain
• Felipe VI of Spain: Another King of Spain
• Mohammad Reza Shah: The Shah or King of Iran
• Prince Michael of Kent: A prince from the United Kingdom

Conclusion

Check this out! In 2012,  Audemars Piguet introduced a new company slogan. This company slogan exemplifies all the brand exhibits over the centuries. It goes thus: “To Break the Rules, You Must First Master Them.”

Clearly, the brand mastered the rules of quality watchmaking and continues to break and reset them consistently.