Audemars Piguet

Who are Audemars Piguet?

Audemars Piguet, often shortened to AP, is a Swiss watchmaker based in Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux, founded in 1875 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. It says it is the oldest watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families (Audemars Piguet). This page covers its history, collections and ownership, then what to check when buying a pre-owned Audemars Piguet in the UK.

AP makes mechanical watches, and some quartz models, in four collections: the Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, Royal Oak Concept and Code 11.59 (Audemars Piguet). It has workshops in Le Brassus, Le Locle and Meyrin (Audemars Piguet), and around 3,000 employees (AP Chronicles). For most buyers the name means the Royal Oak, launched in 1972, and most pre-owned AP watches you will see for sale belong to that family.

The history of Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet’s history runs from a village workshop making complicated movements in 1875 to a family-owned manufacture known above all for a steel sports watch. The key dates are the partnership contract (1881), the 1907 building that is still the head office, the crisis after 1929, the Royal Oak (1972) and the Royal Oak Offshore (1993).

Origins in the Vallée de Joux. The Vallée de Joux, in the Jura mountains north of Geneva, had a network of family workshops making specialised watch parts long before AP existed (Audemars Piguet). Jules Louis Audemars, born in 1851, set up a workshop in Le Brassus in 1875, and Edward Auguste Piguet, born in 1853, worked with him. On 17 December 1881 the two signed a partnership contract that took effect on 1 January 1882. The company registered its trademark, “Audemars, Piguet & Cie”, on 6 December 1882, and by then had sales depots in London and Paris (AP Chronicles).

Complicated watches. AP’s early business was complicated movements. In 1892 it made one of the first minute-repeater wristwatch movements, sold to Louis Brandt & Frère, the company that became Omega (AP Chronicles). Until 1951 the company made only one-off watches (AP Chronicles).

The second generation and the crash. In 1907 AP put up a new building at 16 Route de France in Le Brassus, still its head office. Jules Louis Audemars died in 1918 and Edward Auguste Piguet in 1919; their sons Paul Louis Audemars and Paul Edward Piguet took over (AP Chronicles). After the 1929 stock market crash, AP’s main customer, the New York distributor Metric Watch, went bankrupt (AP Chronicles). Jules César Savary chaired the board from 1948 to 1966, and Georges Golay, who joined in 1945, became managing director in 1966 (AP Chronicles).

The Royal Oak. In April 1972 AP launched the Royal Oak, designed by Gérald Genta. AP’s own history describes it as the first watch to treat steel as a precious material, and it was the first AP model made in a run of more than 1,000 (AP Chronicles). A first women’s Royal Oak followed in 1976 (Audemars Piguet).

The fourth generation. Members of the fourth generation joined the board in 1987. In 1992 Jasmine Audemars became chair, and Olivier Audemars, who represents the Piguet family, joined the board (AP Chronicles). The Royal Oak Offshore followed in 1993, and AP opened its first single-brand boutique in Geneva the same year (AP Chronicles).

Recent decades. AP opened the Manufacture des Forges in Le Brassus in 2008 and the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in 2020 (Audemars Piguet). The Code 11.59 arrived in 2019 (Audemars Piguet). Ilaria Resta became chief executive in January 2024, and the company marked its 150th anniversary in 2025 (AP Chronicles). In October 2026 it launched The Watch Keepers, its own certified pre-owned platform (SJX Watches).

What is Audemars Piguet known for?

Audemars Piguet is known for the Royal Oak, a steel sports watch with an octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet, for complicated movements such as minute repeaters and perpetual calendars, and for staying in the hands of its founding families. The details below are each sourced.

The Royal Oak design. The Royal Oak has a hand-finished steel case, an octagonal bezel with eight hexagonal screws, a guilloché “Tapisserie” dial and a bracelet that is part of the case design (Audemars Piguet). AP says more than 500 versions have been made (Audemars Piguet), and its history puts the total across the whole Royal Oak family at over 800 models (AP Chronicles). Gérald Genta also designed Patek Philippe’s Nautilus in 1976 (AP Chronicles). Our guide to watch sizing helps if you are choosing between case sizes.

Complications. The Vallée de Joux workshops have made many of the world’s most complicated calibres since the 1850s (AP Chronicles). AP made its first self-winding wristwatch with a minute repeater, perpetual calendar and chronograph in 1992, and its first Grande Sonnerie wristwatches in 1994 (AP Chronicles). The Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle (RD#4) has 40 functions, including 23 complications (Audemars Piguet).

The Royal Oak Concept. Introduced in 2002 for the Royal Oak’s 30th anniversary, the Concept line was meant as a one-off edition of 150 pieces and became a collection for new materials and complications (Audemars Piguet).

Water resistance checks. AP says a water-resistant watch can be worn swimming within its rated depth, with the crown and pushers screwed down, and recommends a water-resistance check at least once a year (Audemars Piguet FAQ). Our guide to water resistance explains what the ratings mean.

Which Audemars Piguet collections are there?

Audemars Piguet’s current range has four collections: the Royal Oak (1972), the Royal Oak Offshore (1993), the Royal Oak Concept (2002) and the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet (2019). The collections table gives a one-line description of each.

A few points help when you are reading listings:

• Three Royal Oak families. Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore and Royal Oak Concept are separate collections with different cases and sizes. A listing that says only “Royal Oak” should state which one.
• Reference numbers. AP references are long. The first Royal Oak was Model 5402 (AP Chronicles), while a current example on AP’s pre-owned platform is listed as Royal Oak Ref. 15400ST.OO.1220ST.02 (The Watch Keepers). Check that the full reference matches the papers.
• Retired lines. AP launched two collections named after its founders in 1999 (AP Chronicles). These and other older lines still turn up second-hand.
• The Royal Pop. In 2026 AP and Swatch released Royal Pop watches. AP says they are sold only through Swatch, are produced, distributed and serviced by Swatch, and are not covered by AP’s warranty, coverage or maintenance services (Audemars Piguet FAQ). They are not Audemars Piguet watches in the sense this page uses.

Who owns Audemars Piguet?

Audemars Piguet is owned by the Audemars and Piguet founding families, who have been joined over the years by a number of other shareholders, including descendants of the LeCoultre and Golay families. It is not part of a luxury group and is not listed on a stock exchange.

AP’s own history says that, 150 years on, the company “is still owned by its two founding families” (AP Chronicles). In the 1990s, to keep the company independent of the large watch groups then being formed, Olivier and Jasmine Audemars began a programme to make more of the watch in-house. AP had invested in Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1988 and sold those shares to the Richemont group in 2000 (AP Chronicles).

The family is represented on the board: Olivier Audemars is vice chairman, and Jasmine Audemars chairs the Audemars Piguet Foundation (Audemars Piguet). Since 2022 the board has been chaired by Alessandro Bogliolo, a former director of Tiffany, and since January 2024 the company has been run by Ilaria Resta (AP Chronicles). That puts AP alongside Rolex and Patek Philippe as a Swiss watchmaker that is not part of a listed luxury group.

In the UK, Audemars Piguet (UK) Limited was incorporated on 11 March 2008, with its registered office at 9 Clifford Street, London (Companies House).

Buying a pre-owned Audemars Piguet in the UK: what to check

Check that the case and movement numbers match the warranty card and receipt, that the watch is not recorded as stolen, and whether any of AP’s warranty remains. If authenticity is in doubt, only AP’s manufacture in Le Brassus can issue a Certificate of Authenticity. For the checks specific to the Royal Oak, see buying a used Royal Oak.

1. Papers and the full set. AP says the warranty card is provided only once, when the watch is bought from an official AP point of sale, and that it cannot replace a lost card (Audemars Piguet FAQ). Ask which papers come with the watch and whether they are originals. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. Case and movement numbers. AP identifies each watch by its case and movement numbers, and uses them to trace its service history (Audemars Piguet FAQ). They should match the papers and any service receipts.

3. Authenticity. AP says the authenticity of a watch can only be confirmed by examining it in its workshops, and that only the manufacture in Le Brassus can issue a Certificate of Authenticity. You can hand a watch in at an AP boutique, service centre or authorised retailer to be sent there. An Extract from the Archives is different: it only confirms that the case and movement numbers appear in AP’s records, and does not authenticate the watch (Audemars Piguet FAQ). Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker checks first.

4. Stolen-watch check. When an owner reports an AP watch as stolen under its coverage service, AP records it in its files so it can identify the watch if it comes back into its network (Audemars Piguet FAQ). That record is not public, so check the numbers against a stolen-watch register too. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

5. Warranty. AP guarantees its watches against manufacturing defects for two years from the date of purchase on the invoice. Watches bought through its authorised network from 1 January 2017 can have the warranty extended by a further three years (Audemars Piguet FAQ). Whether a remaining warranty passes to a second owner depends on AP’s terms. Work done at an AP service is guaranteed for two years (Audemars Piguet FAQ). See watch warranties explained.

6. Servicing. AP’s certified watchmakers must use only genuine parts, and its authorised service centres display an “Audemars Piguet – authorised service centre” plate with a dated validation sticker (Audemars Piguet FAQ). Ask who last serviced the watch and for the paperwork.

7. Who you buy from. There are three main routes:

Sources: SJX Watches, Audemars Piguet launches CPO platform (26 October 2026); Monochrome Watches, The Watch Keepers (checked 29 October 2026).

The Watch Keepers launched in October 2026 in Switzerland and other European markets, with a global rollout planned. Watches must be at least two years past their first retail sale, and AP acts as an intermediary rather than buying the watches itself (SJX Watches). Buyers must register and pass an identity check to see prices (The Watch Keepers). Whether UK buyers can use it yet is not clear from the launch reports. For how independent dealers compare with appointed retailers, read grey market versus authorised dealer.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

When was Audemars Piguet founded?

In 1875 in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The founders signed their partnership contract on 17 December 1881 (AP Chronicles).

Who owns Audemars Piguet?

The Audemars and Piguet founding families, joined over the years by other shareholders including descendants of the LeCoultre and Golay families (AP Chronicles).

Is Audemars Piguet part of Richemont or another group?

No. AP is family-owned. It once held shares in Jaeger-LeCoultre and sold them to Richemont in 2000 (AP Chronicles).

Who designed the Royal Oak?

Gérald Genta. The Royal Oak was launched in April 1972 (AP Chronicles).

What is the difference between the Royal Oak and the Royal Oak Offshore?

The Offshore, launched in 1993 and designed by Emmanuel Gueit, is a larger, sportier version of the Royal Oak, nicknamed “The Beast” at launch (Audemars Piguet).

How long is the Audemars Piguet warranty?

Two years against manufacturing defects from the date of purchase, which can be extended by three years for watches bought in the authorised network since 1 January 2017 (Audemars Piguet FAQ).

Can AP replace a lost warranty card?

No. AP says the card is issued only once, when the watch is first sold by an official AP point of sale (Audemars Piguet FAQ).

How can I check that an Audemars Piguet is genuine?

Have it examined by an AP-trained watchmaker. Only AP’s manufacture in Le Brassus can issue a Certificate of Authenticity; an Extract from the Archives does not authenticate a watch (Audemars Piguet FAQ).

Does Audemars Piguet sell pre-owned watches?

Yes, through The Watch Keepers, launched in October 2026. Each watch is authenticated by AP and comes with a two-year warranty (SJX Watches).

Is the Royal Pop an Audemars Piguet watch?

It is a 2026 collaboration with Swatch, sold and serviced only by Swatch, and not covered by AP’s warranty or services (Audemars Piguet FAQ).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Audemars Piguet.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.