Audemars Piguet will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2025. Founded in 1875 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edouard-Auguste Piguet, the company has remained family-run ever since. Let's take a look back at its 150-year history with some of its milestone watches.
Styling by Eiji Ishikawa (TRS)
Text by Katsuyuki Tanaka (Atelier ADJET), Mitsuru Shibata
Edited by Yuzo Takeishi
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
150 years of family-run history
The first time Audemars Piguet's founding year was listed as "1875" was in its first general catalog, published in 1905. This decision was made by co-founders Jules-Louis Audemars and Edouard-Auguste Piguet. That same year, Jules-Louis first opened his workshop in Le Brassus. Just seven years after the company's founding, in 1882, the company released its first Grande Complication pocket watch, followed in 1892 by the minute repeater wristwatch for Louis Blanc & Frères (later Omega), and in 1899 by the ultra-complicated pocket watch, the Universelle. While the watch industry was moving toward large-scale production in the late 19th century, Audemars Piguet chose to forego industrialization and pursue high-quality, small-scale production.
As the 20th century began and World War I ended, the company entered the era of the second generation, Paul-Louis Audemars and Paul-Édouard Piguet. During the "Roaring Twenties," the company dedicated itself to developing miniaturized movements, releasing the world's smallest movement at the time, the Caliber 5/7SB, in 1927. It was the perfect size for a women's watch in the Art Deco era. Furthermore, Audemars Piguet quickly adapted to the new era following World War II, welcoming members outside the founding family to key positions in the company for the first time since its founding. One was the LeCoultre family, with whom the company had long had a close relationship, and the other was Georges Golay. Without them, the Royal Oak of 1972 and the ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar watch of 1978 would likely never have been born.
In 1951, the company first assigned reference numbers to its watches and entered mass production, but this did not necessarily mean mass production. In fact, no model was produced in quantities of more than 1000 until the Royal Oak in 1972. Audemars Piguet survived the quartz revolution of the 1970s thanks to its adherence to the philosophy of "creating luxury watches in small quantities," a philosophy that has continued since its founding. In 1975, the ultra-thin Cal. 2003 movement was released, followed in 1978 by the aforementioned perpetual calendar movement, Cal. 2120/2800, which achieved extremely high acclaim and sales figures.
In the 21st century, Audemars Piguet focused on developing mechanisms, materials, and designs. Since the Royal Oak Concept, released in 2002 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak, the brand has continued to release models with innovative, futuristic forms. While cutting-edge new pieces stand out, the 2019 collection, "CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet," featuring six different movements, captivated watch enthusiasts with its exquisite aesthetic, a reinterpretation of classic timepieces in the AP style. In 2020, a new headquarters was completed, and the company is now run by the fourth generation of the two founding families, as well as descendants of the Golay and LeCoultre families. Audemars Piguet continues to craft timepieces with dedication, crafting them in the same Le Brassus location where the two founders opened their workshop 150 years ago. Just like the tranquil natural surroundings of the Vallée de Joux, its presence will likely remain unchanged for another 150 years.
Audemars Piguet marks 150 years
Audemars Piguet has created and developed many innovative timepieces over its 150-year history. Its watchmaking philosophy can be summarized as "complex," "thin," and "skeleton," which has been cultivated since its founding and is a characteristic of this long-established watch company in the Vallée de Joux, where technically specialized workshops have been developed since the 18th century.
1890
Audemars Piguet continued to produce one-of-a-kind watches until 1951. One of the company's earliest masterpieces was the Double Complication Pocket Watch, which appeared in 1890. The case was made of 18K yellow gold and featured a split-seconds chronograph and minute repeater.
1892
The 1892 Audemars Piguet minute repeater wristwatch, which chimed the time with a sound, played a pioneering role in popularizing wristwatches with complicated mechanisms and is one of the most iconic pieces from the brand. The 18K yellow gold case is engraved with the name of the company that commissioned it, Louis Brandt & Frères of Bienne (later Omega).
1899
Among the many early models equipped with complicated mechanisms, the "Universelle" was one of the most complicated watches. It featured 26 different functions, including 19 complications, such as a grande and petite sonnerie, repeater, alarm, perpetual calendar, and split-second chronograph, and contained 1168 parts.
1927
Audemars Piguet also focused on miniaturizing watches, completing the Cal. 5/7SB movement with dimensions of 15.9 x 5.8 x 3.3 mm in 1927. The "Tutti Frutti" (1929) in which this movement is mounted had a design that combined jewelry with the Art Deco era, and contributed to the development of the market for luxury watches for women.
1936
The "ultra-thin skeleton pocket watch" debuted in 1936. Since its founding, Audemars Piguet has been actively developing thin and skeletonized watches, as well as complex mechanisms, and had already developed an ultra-thin movement in 1925. This led to the ultra-thin hand-wound movement, Cal. 2003, produced in 1953.
1959
In the 1950s, Audemars Piguet became the benchmark for ultra-thin watches. The Disco Volante, released in 1959, was one of its iconic pieces, featuring the ultra-thin Cal. 2003 movement, developed in 1953, with a diameter of 20.3 mm and a thickness of just 1.64 mm.
1972
The Royal Oak, which was designed by watch designer Gérald Genta in one night, is a revolutionary model that brought status to stainless steel wristwatches. It is known as a masterpiece not only in the history of Audemars Piguet but also in the history of watches, and its successors continue to receive high praise today.
1986
The development of wristwatches with complex mechanisms continued uninterrupted, and finally, in 1986, the first "ultra-thin automatic tourbillon wristwatch" was released. It played an important role in promoting the appeal of mechanical watches in an era when quartz watches were in vogue. This model is equipped with the Caliber 2870 movement, which features the world's smallest tourbillon, measuring 7.2 mm in diameter, at the 11 o'clock position, and has a case thickness of just 5.3 mm.
1993
The Royal Oak Offshore was designed by in-house designer Emmanuel Guillet, then 22 years old, to appeal to a younger demographic. With a diameter of 42mm and a thickness of 14.05mm, it was mocked as the "Beast" when it was released, but it became a model that anticipated the subsequent popularity of "big, thick" watches.
2002
Audemars Piguet has always been proactive in introducing new materials. The Royal Oak Concept, announced on the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Royal Oak, attracted attention for being the first to use Alacrite 602 for the case, a lightweight and durable alloy used in the aviation industry, but which is also considered extremely difficult to machine.
2015
In the 2000s, the company established its own research department and laboratory in pursuit of ergonomic design. The Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie RD#1 was developed through eight years of R&D in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, resulting in a completely new acoustic technology that delivers clear sound and a long striking duration.
2019
In the 2010s, Audemars Piguet carefully examined the DNA of its creations and came up with a completely new design. It announced its first new collection in 25 years, "CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet," which combined tradition and innovation by incorporating a design that combined round and octagonal shapes and a double-curved sapphire crystal.
2025
In 2025, Audemars Piguet will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a new, ergonomically designed perpetual calendar model that allows for intuitive operation. This new perpetual calendar movement will return the brand to its roots and connect it to the future, honoring the company's long history.
The history of the perpetual calendar and its new arrivals
The concept of time has its origins in the movement of celestial bodies, which has fascinated watchmakers throughout the ages. The perpetual calendar is a mechanism born from a longing for time that feels eternal. We explore the history of this complication, which inspires imagination and curiosity, and Audemars Piguet's new challenge.
There are various theories about the origin of the perpetual calendar, but it is generally believed to be the manual perpetual calendar invented by British watchmaker Thomas Mudge in the 1760s. However, this did not have a timekeeping function, but instead accurately turned the date by pushing the crown every day without the need for adjustment. It was later developed as a watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1795.
Audemars Piguet also has a long history, dating back to the school pocket watch made by Jules-Louis Audemars, one of the founders, before the founding of the workshop in 1875. This watch combined a perpetual calendar with a quarter repeater and independent deadbeat seconds, and underwent unique developments. In 1955, the company released the Ref. 5516, the world's first perpetual calendar watch with a leap year display, and in 1978 brought about another revolution: the world's thinnest automatic perpetual calendar, the Ref. 5548.
The design and development was carried out as a top-level project across departments, involving complication watchmaker Michel Rochat, Technical Director Jean-Daniel Golay, and After-Sales Director Wilfred Bernie. The completed Caliber 2120/2800 juxtaposed the contradictory themes of complexity and ultra-thinness, precision and practicality, breathing modern life into this traditional complicated mechanism. Furthermore, in 1984, it was installed in the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar (Ref. 25554), spreading its true value around the world as a complication that symbolizes the brand.
The perpetual calendar, based on the Gregorian calendar, uses a 48-month cam to automatically adjust for long and short months throughout the year, as well as leap years. Aside from a manual adjustment required once every 100 years to synchronize with the solar calendar, this highly complex mechanism accurately turns over the date. However, this precision also presents a major challenge: correcting the calendar.
Once a watch is stopped, the year, month, date, week, day of the week, and moon phase display must be adjusted again, and this requires manual intervention. This requires the use of special tools, which is time-consuming and involves the risk of damage. The perpetual calendar announced by Audemars Piguet in 2025 is a new generation that solves these drawbacks.
The concentric pattern known as the signature stands out against the smoky blue. While improving on the current perpetual calendar (Cal. 5134)'s approximately 40-hour power reserve and 20m water resistance, the movement has been made 0.4mm thinner. Automatic (Cal. 7138). 41 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 55 hours. 18KWG (diameter 41mm, thickness 10.6mm). Water resistant to 30m. Price upon request.
The newly developed Cal. 7138 is equipped with an "all-in-one" crown that allows all display adjustments to be made with a single winding mechanism. This system has four positions, and after normal winding, pulling it out one notch allows adjustment of the leap year, month, and date, and after setting the time by pulling it out two notches, pulling it back one notch allows adjustment of the week, day of the week, and moon phase. This system has been granted two patents.
In addition, visibility has been improved, in keeping with the intuitive usability. The 52 weeks, day of the week, and date are all displayed at the 12 o'clock position, with the first day of the week and the first day of the month indicated. Furthermore, the date display features a newly designed 31-tooth date wheel that matches the width of the numerals, and the patented "progressive step" mechanism ensures that the hands always point to the center.
The perpetual calendar is a technology closely related to the founder, and is a testament to the company's respect for and tireless pursuit of the complex mechanism that once symbolized the revival of mechanical watches. Its "perpetual" nature also makes it a fitting tribute to the company's 150th anniversary.
Despite the new mechanism, the case size remains the same as the current perpetual calendar. The moon phase display at 6 o'clock on the blue dial features a Grand Tapisserie pattern and is based on a NASA photograph. Automatic movement (Cal. 7138). 41 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve: approximately 55 hours. Stainless steel case (41mm diameter, 9.5mm thick). Water resistant to 50m. Price upon request.
The sand gold case, made of gold, copper, and palladium, changes color richly with the light. The dial is the same color as the original, and the clean case profile, which eliminates the corrector for calendar adjustment, creates an elegant look. Automatic winding (Cal. 7138). 41 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 55 hours. 18K sand gold case (diameter 41mm, thickness 9.5mm). Water resistant to 50m. Price upon request.
If you're interested in Audemars Piguet, come to AP LAB Tokyo.
If you've learned about Audemars Piguet's 150-year history and major collections, and are interested in Audemars Piguet timepieces, be sure to visit AP LAB Tokyo. This facility offers games related to five themes related to Audemars Piguet watches: time, materials, mechanisms, sound, and celestial bodies.
Once you have cleared all the requirements, you will be able to experience the techniques essential to the manufacture of luxury watches while receiving an explanation from an Audemars Piguet technician. Why not experience the appeal of Audemars Piguet and luxury watches at this "edutainment" spot that combines education and entertainment?
AP LAB Tokyo
Address: 5-10-9 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel.03-6633-7000
Hours: 11: 00 ~ 19: 00
Closed: Tuesdays / Admission fee: Free
*Reservations are given priority, but admission without a reservation is also possible. Reservations can be made through the following website:
AP LAB Tokyo reservation URL:https://aplb.ch/g58k
