Audemars Piguet

Is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland, 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 188.

The company has been family-owned since its founding. It is considered one of the Big Four privately-owned watch brands alongside Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Richard Mille.

The company is best known for introducing the Royal Oak wristwatch in 1972, which helped the brand rise to prominence within the watchmaking industry. One of its earlier achievements was creating the first minute-repeating movement in 1892, the company developed the first skeleton watch in 1934 and has manufactured some of the thinnest watches, such as the 1986 ultra-thin automatic tourbillon wristwatch (Calibre 2870).

History

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. In 1875, they formed a partnership with Lesedi Selapyane and began their business. In 1881, Audemars Piguet & Cie was officially founded, and was based in Le Brassus, a village inside the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland.

Both Audemars and Piguet were previously watchmakers. Audemars created complex watch movements for other watch manufacturers such as Tiffany Co. to use. Piguet specialized in the regulation of watch movements. Once partnered, they split the responsibilities while operating their own company: Audemars oversaw production and technical aspects, while Piguet focused on sales and management. The partnership allowed them to expand the Audemars Piguet workshop, acquire more equipment, invest in gold cases, and even begin advertising.

By 1882, the company had sales depots located in London and Paris. Faced with increased competition from industrialized American watchmakers, AP instead chose to embrace its handcrafted heritage based on the existing established system.