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Throughout the years, Audemars Piguet watchmakers and artisans have surpassed technical and theoretical boundaries to craft ever more demanding mechanisms and ground-breaking designs.
It all starts with an idea: a new shape, a play on perspective and dimensions, the perfect harmony of lines and curves that designers sketch out, as they take the first step in a long journey to turn pioneering concept into horological reality.
These initial drawings evolve to include technical details to determine exact proportions and dimensions. Designers work hand in hand with the technical and development teams throughout the design process to factor in the technical limitations that may lie ahead and prepare the piece for the movement it will house.
On the basis of these primary sketches, designers move from paper to screen to draw up a three-dimensional model. The colours, materials, reflections and relief effects become increasingly realistic as designers work to scale on this virtual piece in order to hone each detail.
To complete the design process, a wax prototype is created before the technical teams can prepare the specifications for the manufacturing stage. A final prototype honed from precious materials is then crafted to perfect every detail. Only then can production of a timepiece begin.
For well over a century, Audemars Piguet’s artisans have crafted timepieces combining avant-garde designs and fine watchmaking traditions. Inspired by the larger cultural world, these creations have reflected the eras in which they were crafted, while sometimes anticipating design evolutions to come. Looking at the past, present and future, they have taken various shapes, from the round, the square and the rectangle, to unconventional geometries such as the octagon and the trapezoid. These case designs, honed from numerous materials, have been complemented with expressive dials.
1929
Tutti Frutti Art Deco lady’s watch
1936
Three-tone extra-thin pocket watch
1962
Asymmetrical watch
1970
Haute Couture bracelet watch
1972
First Royal Oak designed by Gérald Genta
1993
First Royal Oak Offshore – a more muscular take on the Royal Oak
2002
Birth of the “futuristic” Royal Oak Concept
2015
Diamond Punk
ASTRONOMY
Inspired by the Vallée de Joux’s clear night sky, generations of watchmakers at Audemars Piguet have crafted refined timepieces capturing astronomical cycles.
Read moreCHIMING
Over the centuries, watchmakers have followed their dream to create refined chiming watches with the sound quality of musical instruments.
Read moreEVER GREATER PRECISION
At Audemars Piguet, generations of watchmakers have preserved age-old techniques, while anticipating society’s ever-changing needs.
Read moreCHRONOGRAPHS
Chronographs were developed in the 19th century with the increasing necessity to measure short periods of time and performances, such as horse races.
Read moreGRANDES COMPLICATIONS
To be considered a Grande Complication, a watch must include a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and a perpetual calendar.
Read more