Audemars Piguet

AP acquired the Centror case manufacturing workshops of Geneva in 1991. In 1992, Jasmine Audemars, great-granddaughter of Jules Louis, was appointed chair of the board. Oliver Audemers, representing the Piguet family, also joined the board. Audemars Piguet became the majority shareholder of Renaud & Papi, a maker of complicated mechanical watches. APRP, located in Le Locle, continues to act as a research and development arm of the company.

21st century

Audemars Piguet introduced the slogan "To Break the Rules, You Must First Master Them" in 2012.

Currently, the company is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, and produces around 40,000 timepieces annually.

In 2017, the company began selling pre-owned watches, starting from its boutique in the Grand Hotel Kempinski in Geneva. In 2021, AP renamed its subsidiaries. Centror became Audemars Piguet Meyrin and Renaud & Papi was renamed Audemars Piguet Le Locle.

In 1934, introduced the first skeleton watch.

In 1946, produced the thinnest watch, with a 1.64-mm-thick movement.

In 1955, AP introduced its first perpetual calendar wristwatch, featuring a leap year indicator.

In 1972, introduced the first luxury sport wristwatch, the Royal Oak. A women's version was introduced in 1976.

In 1986, created an ultra-thin automatic tourbillon wristwatch (Calibre 2870), being only 5.3 mm thick (including the case).

In 1995/96, manufactured the first automatic "Grande Complication" wristwatch (Calibre 2885).

In 2006, introduced the first direct-impulse escapement, based on a design by watchmaker Robert Robin in the 18th century.

In 2007/08, developed the first watch with a carbon case and a carbon movement (a Royal Oak Carbon Concept).

In 2015, the first mechanical chronograph with independent memory and three column-wheels was launched, named Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher. A redesigned Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar was also introduced.

In 2019, presented the thinnest automatic perpetual calendar.

Environmental rating

In December 2018, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released a report assigning environmental ratings for 15 major watch manufacturers and jewelers in Switzerland. 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.

Notable models

Royal Oak/Concept/Offshore

The Royal Oak is considered to be the most popular watch that Audemars Piguet currently manufactures. It was first presented at the 1972 Baselworld, during the quartz crisis. 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. It is named after warships, which in turn, reference Charles II's Royal Oak. The watch was inspired by traditional diving helmets and therefore featured exposed screw heads as well as a unique case design. The watch also featured an integrated steel bracelet.

A perpetual calendar model was introduced in 1984 followed by an openworked version in 1986. A leap year indicator for the Royal Oak was not added until 1995.

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. 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. The new watch proved to be just as successful as the original.

Due to its large case size, the Royal Oak Offshore was nicknamed "the Beast". Initial sales of the Royal Oak Offshore were slow, but after the first few years of production, numbers increased and began to demonstrate success. In the years following the launch, new variations of the Royal Oak Offshore were introduced. The "Tropical Beast" is widely considered the first novel variation of the Offshore and was introduced at Baselworld in 1996, showcasing a selection of bold, impactful colorways. Today, there are more than 130 variations within the Royal Oak Offshore line.

In 2002, Claude Emmenegger created a high-tech variant known as the Royal Oak Concept. It is known as a platform for innovation, helping to revive chiming watches. The Royal Oak Concept line is also known for its many collaborations, including a partnership with Marvel that led to a highly desirable Spiderman Tourbillon Royal Oak Concept watch. The Marvel partnership also extended to a Black Panther Royal Oak Concept watch, which was limited to 250 pieces and listed for $162,000 each in 2021. A white gold version of the Black Panther watch, limited to just one piece, was auctioned off for $5.2 million.

[Re]Master

The [Re]Master01, a self-winding chronograph, was launched in 2020 as a limited edition of 500. Subsequently the [Re]Master02, a tribute to a 1960 Brutalist-inspired watch, was launched in Spring 2024. This watch was issued as a limited edition of 250.

Code 11.59

The Code 11.59 was released at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) 2019. 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. The crystal on the watches feature a unique curvature which changes the way the dial appears at certain angles. It also features a three-piece-case design with an octagonal section in the middle. It is based on a 1899 watch developed by Audemars Piguet for Union Dürrstein and won the Aiguille d'Or award in the 2023 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.

Grosse Pièce

The Grosse Pièce pocket watch is the only watch made by Audemars Piguet with celestial complications. It established a new record for AP, becoming the most expensive watch from the company sold at an auction when it went for $7.7 million in December 2025.

Facilities

Audemars Piguet has been based in Le Brassus since its founding. The company's oldest building was constructed there in 1868. The first Audemars Piguet Manufacture was built in 1907, which remains the company's headquarters.

The Manufacture des Forges was built in Le Brassus in 2008. In 2020, the company opened Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet, a museum and workroom in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The building was designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. The nearby Hôtel des Horlogers, owned by AP, was rebuilt and reopened in 2022.

In 2022, AP opened a manufacturing facility in Le Locle. In January 2026, the company officially unveiled its Arc Manufacture building in La Brassus, which connects and wraps around the existing facility. A renovated facility in Meyrin was opened in March to focus on manufacturing cases and bracelets.

Retail

Boutiques

In order to establish a closer connection with its customers, Audemars Piguet expanded into retail during the 1990s. Its first boutique opened in Geneva in 1993. This was followed by locations in Milan (2005), Singapore (2006), Kuala Lumpur (2007), Tokyo (2007), Taipei (2008), New York (2010). After adding hundreds of boutiques around the world, the firm has gradually decreased this number over the years.

AP Houses

In recent years, Audemars Piguet has begun setting up lounges in major world cities designed to look like the inside of a house. It began opening lounges in 2018. Clients are able to schedule appointments at no charge and can use these spaces without purchasing anything. The first location was in Milan, followed by New York, Madrid, London, Hong Kong, Zurich, and Munich.

By 2026, these AP Houses were also located in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Bangkok, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Manchester, Milan, Mexico City, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo.

In March 2026, AP officially moved its London lounge from New Bond Street to Clifford Street in Mayfair. It also opened another US-based location in Miami.