Audemars Piguet Watches

About Audemars Piguet Watches

Audemars Piguet was started by two aspiring Swiss entrepreneurs, Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward Piguet. The two conceived the idea in 1874, but did not become a business until 1875. The company was originally named Audemars Piguet et Cie, but the two young men decided that dividing their company in half would be best. Audemars was in control of the technical aspect of the business while Piguet was in charge of sales. By 1882, the company became the largest employer of watch making in Vaud. This eventually gave the company steady cash flow and enabled them to open their first separate branch in Geneva in 1889. Like any up-and-coming business, problems occurred, and in 1818 Piguet died. A year later, Audemars died as well. At the time, Audemars Piguet was securing contract customers such as Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and Bvlgari. These companies would purchase Audemars Piguet watches in bulk and resell them through their own retail locations. Between this time and the Depression, Audemars Piguet developed multiple market-changing watches such as the smallest minute repeater watch and the world's thinnest pocket watch.

All was going well for Audemars Piguet, until the Great Depression hit. This slowed the development of the entire Swiss watch industry. Audemars Piguet found a way to rebound before World War II, and produced an ultra-thin chronograph which is a combination of a display watch and a stop watch. This watch was also made with help from Jaeger-LeCoultre, creating the world’s thinnest automatic movement, which would later include a 21-carat gold rotor. In the 1970's, Audemars Piguet developed a market for stainless steel luxury watches. During this time, they first presented their "Royal Oak" watch. Audemars Piguet is currently known as one of the top four Swiss watchmaking companies. Every watch developed is still made by the old-fashioned, hand-made technique. The company now has 1,100 employees, fourteen distribution subsidiaries, and sixteen boutiques around the world, a testament to its success. The company runs its manufacturing out of production sites that are spread around the world. Audemars Piguet develops about 26,000 timepieces per year. Today it is a world icon and can be seen advertised on sports icons like tennis player Novak Djokovic, soccer player Lionel Messi, NBA star Lebron James, and golfer Rory McElroy.

Audemars Piguet watches have also been integrated into Hollywood culture, from debuting in the Terminator movies to Kanye West and Jay Z music videos. Even after 100 years of production, Audemars Piguet is still an independent and family-owned company. They take pride in developing their own brand of fine luxury watches.

Audemars Piguet is involved with many charities, including the Clinton Foundation, which is involved with global issues such as education, health, poverty issues, and the fight against AIDS. Audemars Piguet also has its own world help program where the mission is to "contribute to the conservation of the forests in the world, the protection of the environment, and awareness among young people." Their foundation has worked in thirty countries. Their works include the restoration of 500 hectares of woodland, the training of biodiversity guards in Ecuador, and tree-planting and support for practical environmental education in India. Audemars Piguet does not only want to be known as a watch company, but to be known as a company of tradition, history, and helping the world. It has become more than a company, but rather a standard for watch making, fashion, and retail structure around the world.