Passion and desire are essential ingredients for creativity, as well as for success. The story of two childhood friends who had an abundance of both of those ingredients turned the art of watchmaking into a multi-million dollar business. In 1875 Edward-Auguste Piguet and Jules-Louis Audemars joined forces to produced luxury watches in the Joux Valley of Switzerland.

Audemars meticulously designed watch movements and Piguet handled the commercial and financial side of the business. These hand crafted and aesthetically pleasing new watches attracted attention from royalty and heads of state, as well as the critics thanks to their bold designs, luxurious materials, and sense of timing in terms of fashion as well as timekeeping. Audemars Piguet is now recognized as one of the world's best luxury watch manufacturers as well as one of world's most innovative timepiece designers.

At the turn of the 20th century the company was enjoying their new-found notoriety but needed to expand their manufacturing facility. In 1907 the company added a new factory which accommodated seventy workers, but the looming world war presented several business challenges so they adjusted their production accordingly. By the 1920s the company was back in the limelight producing exquisite ladies jeweled watches that evoked the effervescence of the roaring twenties. Audemars Piguet watches became an icon for wealth and luxury in cities like London, Paris, and New York and it didn't take long for other cities to wake-up to the sheer beauty of their pendant watches.

The 1930s brought in a new era in luxury watches. The introduction of chronographs injected new life into the company's watch manufacturing, but rumbles of a new war affected production. The company managed to survive another world war and emerged with a new line of ultra-thin luxury watches that rivaled the traditional timepieces of the turbulent 1940s. In 1949 Audemars Piguet displayed their collection at the Basel Fair for the first time.

The 1960s produced an incredible surge in business when Georges Golay took over as business manager in 1962 and then managing director and CEO in 1966. Under Golay's direction the company enjoyed an era of incredible prosperity thanks to his creative daring and his innovative staff of watchmakers. A network of agents helped improve distribution while the manufacturing arm of the company produced complex mechanisms that complimented the spirit of the times. The complete line of Audemars Piguet watches soon earned international recognition.

When the Royal Oak was introduced to the public in the 1970s watchmaking was turned upside down. The Royal Oak was the first luxury sport watch with an octagonal bezel and eight hexagonal screws. The guillochage on the dial and its integrated steel bracelet created a true revolution in the world of watchmaking. Audemars Piguet continued to combine tradition with innovation and in 1986 the company introduced the first self-winding ultra-thin watch with a second time zone. These new Audemars Piguet watches had a star wheel with a sector hour display on three sapphire discs. The world of golf took notice and golfers like Nick Faldo proudly wore Audemars Piguet on the greens, while the skipper of UBS Switzerland relied on Audemars Piguet on the seas.

In 1992 Audemars Piguet watches became synonymous with forest preservation when the Audemars Piguet Foundation was created in the Joux Valley. The Foundation's mission was to preserve not only the beauty of their beloved valley, but to preserve forests around the world through generous contributions and active participation in eco-friendly initiatives. The Foundation developed innovative ways to approach and sensitize the younger generation so they recognize the value of preserving unspoiled areas of natural beauty all over the world.

At the turn of the 21st century a series of limited-edition masterpieces were created and named the Tradition of Excellence Collection. The Collection consists of eight masterpieces with twenty watches in each series. The first watch introduced in the series was the Jules Audemars minute repeater made in 950 platinum. The Jules Audemars Dynamograph introduced in 2000 was the first watch to combine a three-tone carillon grand strike with a dynamograph. The Royal Oak City of Sails was also introduced in 2000 and was used by the skipper of first Swiss Challenger in the America's Cup.

In 2005 Audemars Piguet introduced the exclusive self-winding Calibre 3120 which features direct-drive seconds hand and a cross-through balanced wheel-bridge. That same year the company introduced the Dual Time Millenary Maserati to celebrate Maserati's 90th birthday.

Just when the world thought that Audemars Piguet watches had reached the pinnacle in watchmaking expertise the company introduced the Jules Audemars Chronometer with AP escapement in 2009. The escapement ensures high efficiency and lubricant-free operation which is a major technical breakthrough in watch manufacturing. Audemars Piguet watches are considered collector timepieces that express their own timeless fashion statement in the world of time.

Follow us

Facebook

Instagram

For more info: -authentic luxury watches online

luxury watches for sale Singapore