Rediscovering Audemars Piguet: The current state of the ever-growing Manufacture and Museum

At the end of January 2023, Audemars Piguet invited watch media from around the world to its headquarters in Le Brassus, a town in the Vallée de Joux. After a three-year hiatus, the company resumed its new product launches. The launches took place in the new factory, completed two years ago, and the hotel, which opened last year. The museum, which was completed in July 2020, was also unveiled. Audemars Piguet's three new buildings, built during the COVID-19 pandemic, serve as a bridge to the future of watchmaking history in the Vallée de Joux.

Audemars Piguet's three buildings in the Vallée de Joux

　On our way to see the new museum, Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet (hereafter Musée), we were guided to the building adjacent to the manufacture that was Audemars Piguet's first atelier. Renovated in 1907, this historic building still retains its original appearance and was used as a museum from 2000 to 17. The Musée is located at the back of the building. Opening the heavy door and passing through the ancient wood and stone building, we were greeted by a bright and spacious view.

　The Musée was designed by architect Bjarke Ingels and his firm, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group). They constructed a double-spiral structure that looks as if it was dug out of the ground by a giant drilling, and covered the sides with curved glass, bringing the surrounding grassland and forest scenery into the museum. This is a museum that is deeply rooted in the Vallée de Joux. As proof of this, the exhibits include a family tree of a watchmaking family that has continued in the Vallée de Joux for generations.

　The spiral-shaped corridor of the museum displays 300 timepieces produced by the Maison. In the areas for the calendar mechanism, chronograph, and chiming mechanism, models are also on display that explain how each mechanism works. It's also really fun to try out the circular graining and hairline finishing techniques, as well as tightening the tiny screws used in actual movements.

A model of the tourbillon mechanism. The carriage can be moved by hand, and because it is a large model, it is very easy to see how the escapement rotates along with the fixed fourth wheel.

This is a model of the most basic mechanical movement. You can see how the mainspring winds when you turn the key, the balance wheel ticks, and the escapement controls the movement of the gears.

This exhibit features a large gong made from the same material as a real chiming mechanism, which can be struck with a stick, with a hole in the center amplifying the sound.

This exhibit illustrates the concept of the calendar mechanism. The relative positions of the sun, earth, and moon are modeled, making it easy to understand how the cycles of a year, a day, and the age of the moon, as well as their discrepancies, come about.

　What's more, I was surprised to find that, as the museum is called an "atelier," it also houses a workshop for assembling complex mechanisms. Visitors can observe the watchmakers at work. According to the guide, "It's completely soundproofed, so there's no disruption to the work." However, the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet stands out from other museums in that it not only shows the collection, but also allows visitors to experience and see the watchmaking process firsthand.

Roll two balls to learn about the function of a split-second chronograph, and make a car rotate around the circular surface to gain a deeper understanding of lap time measurement.

In this hands-on experience, you can wear a magnifying glass, pick up small screws with tweezers, and tighten them with a screwdriver. It's fun to get a taste of what it's like to be a watchmaker.

The complex watch assembly workshop inside the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is also the production site for the museum's future collection. The design and development of these watches is handled by the Manufacture des Seniors, which was completed in 2021. Its predecessor was Audemars Piguet Le Locle, formerly known as Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi.

　The brand new manufacture was the venue for the presentation of new complications. Its pure white exterior blended seamlessly into the snowy landscape. Extensive use of glass was made in the exterior walls, and like the Musée, the building was designed to allow the surrounding scenery to be incorporated into the interior. The total floor area was a vast 10,400 square meters. When I met the factory's director, Giulio Papi, for the first time in a while, I commented to him, "It's become much larger and more modern than before," to which he replied with a smile, "It's bright and easy to work in." The facilities have also been expanded, allowing the gongs for the chiming mechanisms to be produced in-house. As of this year, gongs made in-house have been in use. Although the building and name have changed, the business model remains the same, and the company will continue to provide complex mechanisms to other companies.

　The venue for the dinner on the first day of the new product launch was a building under construction near Le Brassus station. Although still under construction, the building is clearly enormous and is the second new manufacture, "ARC." It is scheduled for completion at the end of 2024, and by 2025 all of the Maison's watchmaking operations at Le Brassus will be concentrated here.

　Last year, Audemars Piguet's annual production reached a record high of 51,001 pieces. However, shortages remain. Once the Arc is completed, annual production will increase to 60,000 pieces. Furthermore, the two new manufactures will minimize carbon dioxide emissions. Audemars Piguet will connect the history of watchmaking and nature of the Vallée de Joux to the future.

　Furthermore, Audemars Piguet is contributing to the development of tourism in the Vallée de Joux and the promotion of the region's industry and heritage by opening a luxury four-star hotel, the Hôtel des Horlogers, right next to the manufacture in June 2022. This is where we stayed.

　In fact, when I first visited the Audemars Piguet headquarters in 2005, I stayed at a hotel of the same name, which stands on the same site. Its predecessor was the Hôtel de France, founded in 1857. After the hotel went out of business in 2000, Audemars Piguet purchased it in 2003, renovated it, and since 2005 has welcomed visitors to the Vallée de Joux under the name Hôtel des Horlogers. The rustic, mountain cabin-style building was very comfortable, but due to its age, the decision was made to rebuild it in 2018. After four years of construction, Hôtel des Horlogers has been reborn as a modern hotel.

　The design was handled by BIG, the same firm that designed the Musée. They retained the history of the Hôtel de France in the new building. The façade visible from the road is roughly the same height as the old building, and wood is used for the exterior walls. They then took advantage of the slope that continues from the road to the grassland behind the building to construct a framework with four above-ground floors and two below. Each above-ground floor is connected by a zigzag slope, harmonizing with the surrounding scenery.

　The rooms are incredibly comfortable. When you open the door, the full-length glass windows offer a view of the surrounding meadows and forest. Just like the Musée and the new Manufacture, the landscape of the Vallée de Joux is incorporated into the building. The hotel is also committed to sustainable management.

　Audemars Piguet's three new buildings, built during the COVID-3 pandemic, are all nestled in the natural surroundings of the Vallée de Joux, where the company was founded.