Swiss Watchmaking · Le Brassus · Est. 1875
Audemars Piguet
To break the rules, you must first master them.
Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet founded their watch manufacture in Le Brassus, deep in Switzerland's Vallée de Joux, in 1875. Both men were master watchmakers: Audemars specialising in movements, Piguet in adjustment. Their partnership, and the company it created, has remained family-owned for 150 years — an extraordinary achievement in the modern luxury industry.
In April 1972, designer Gérald Genta — working through a single night — presented plans for a stainless steel sports watch with an octagonal bezel, eight hexagonal screws, and an integrated bracelet. The Royal Oak debuted at the 1972 Basel Watch Fair at 3,300 Swiss francs — many times the price of a contemporary Rolex Submariner. It was a shock to the industry. Stainless steel had never been used for a watch at this price.
The Royal Oak invented an entirely new category: the luxury sports watch. Every integrated-bracelet sports watch since — including Patek Philippe's own Nautilus — owes its existence to the Royal Oak. The watch was mocked, then quietly admired, then copied, then celebrated as one of the most influential designs in watchmaking history.
The company produces approximately 50,000 watches per year from its atelier in Le Brassus. The Royal Oak family now includes the original (launched 1972), the larger Royal Oak Offshore (1993), and the experimental Royal Oak Concept. The Code 11.59 collection, introduced in 2019, represents Audemars Piguet's most contemporary design language.
Steel Royal Oak models begin at approximately $30,000 at retail, though the most sought-after references trade well above retail on the secondary market. Grand Complications can exceed $760,000. AP Royal Oak Concept pieces — limited production, avant-garde materials — are typically priced above $150,000.