Audemars Piguet Watch History: The Royal Oak and More

When people talk about the most influential watch brand in the luxury watch market, Audemars Piguet is always in the conversation. Based in Le Brassus, in the Vallée de Joux, the brand has built its reputation on technical innovation, bold design, and a very strong sense of identity. From early pocket watches and complicated pieces to the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore, the history of Audemars Piguet is full of turning points that changed the Swiss watch industry.

This blog explores Audemars Piguet’s journey, from its roots and family-led structure to the birth of the Royal Oak, the rise of the luxury sports watch, and the way the brand continues to push boundaries today.

From Le Brassus – The Origins of Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875 in Le Brassus, a quiet village in the Vallée de Joux, by two young watchmakers: Jules Audemars (often referenced as Jules Louis Audemars) and Edward Auguste Piguet. You’ll see them described in different ways in the literature – Jules Louis Audemars and Edward, Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste, or simply Audemars and Piguet – but together they formed the core of what would become one of the most important names in the Swiss watch world.

From the beginning, the first Audemars Piguet pieces were not simple three-hand watches. The company concentrated on high-end watch movements and complications – repeaters, chronographs, and calendars – often supplied to other maisons. Over time, more finished pieces were delivered by Audemars Piguet under its own name, and the name Audemars Piguet started to stand for technical and aesthetic refinement.

The brand’s early work included milestones like the thinnest pocket watch calibre and the first skeletonised pocket watch, both of which are now part of Audemars Piguet’s heritage and preserved in the Audemars Piguet archives and the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus. These achievements show how deeply the brand is rooted in serious horology, long before the Royal Oak existed.

A Family Legacy and the Heritage Team

One of the things that truly defines Audemars Piguet’s history is that the company has stayed in the hands of the founding families. After Jules and Edward, figures like Paul Louis Audemars and Paul Edward Piguet (often written as Louis Audemars and Paul Edward) succeeded the earlier generation and helped steer the brand through the early 20th century. Later, Jacques-Louis Audemars and Paulette Piguet (also known as Louis Audemars and Paulette Piguet) continued that tradition.

In more recent years, names such as Jasmine Audemars and Olivier Frank Edward Audemars (sometimes referenced as Audemars and Olivier Frank Edward or Olivier Frank Edward Audemars) have appeared in connection with the Audemars Piguet board of directors. The brand also maintains an Audemars Piguet Heritage Team that looks after historical pieces, documents, and the story behind them. Protecting your past is ensuring your future.

The careful management of the Audemars Piguet brand and heritage is evident in their catalogue and history books. Decisions are rarely made purely for short-term gain, and the production line is carefully monitored. Each new release is designed to fit in.

The introduction of the Royal Oak – The Steel Sports Watch That Changed Everything.

In the late 1960s, the Swiss watch industry faced a serious challenge, quartz movements, there easy to mass produce and there more reliable. The watchmakers at Audemars Piguet needed something new, this is where the birth of the Royal Oak fits into the story.

In 1972, Georges Golay joined Audemars Piguet as managing director and played a key role when Audemars Piguet decided to take a huge risk. The brand approached a famous Swiss watch designer, and by legend, the first sketch of the Royal Oak was drawn at Audemars Piguet's request overnight. That sketch of the Royal Oak led to the first Royal Oak – an angular, octagonal steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet, exposed bezel screws, and a distinctive tapisserie dial.

The Royal Oak in 1972 was unlike any other watch in the world at the time. It was a stainless steel luxury sports watch priced higher than many brands’ gold watches. Many people forget how controversial it was when the release of the Royal Oak took place at a watch fair, but the move paid off. Over time, the success of the Royal Oak proved that collectors were ready for something different.

You’ll often read that Audemars Piguet created the world's first luxury sports watch with the Royal Oak, and that the Royal Oak was the first high-end steel piece to be positioned this way. Whether you’re talking about the original Royal Oak wristwatch or later Royal Oak models, it’s clear that this single design transformed both Audemars Piguet’s trajectory and the entire watch market.

The Royal Oak Collection – Offshore, Concept and Perpetual Calendar

Since 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has grown into a full Royal Oak collection, including the Royal Oak Offshore, Concept pieces and a range of complications.

In 1993, Audemars Piguet created the Royal Oak Offshore – a larger, more aggressive take on the original Royal Oak watch. It was introduced as a modern sports watch for a younger audience, and despite some initial resistance, it quickly found its fan base. Today, the Royal Oak Offshore is one of the most recognisable series in the AP catalogue.

At the more experimental end, the brand launched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept, with pieces like the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer. These watches showcase extreme movement architecture, cutting-edge materials, and bold aesthetics. The Royal Oak concept line is where Audemars Piguet created the world's wildest technical statements, including highly advanced tourbillon watches and futuristic chronographs.

On the classical side, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar brought one of watchmaking’s most respected complications into the Royal Oak case. Later, pieces like the Royal Oak Equation of Time added even more complexity. A rose gold Royal Oak, a slim gold watch, or even a high-end Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in ceramic all show how flexible the core design has become.

Innovation Beyond the Royal Oak – Code 11.59 and More

Although the Royal Oak dominates the conversation, it’s not the only story. The Jules Audemars collection and other classic lines have kept traditional designs alive, while Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet has brought a contemporary, more rounded case shape to the brand’s portfolio.

When Audemars Piguet created the world's thinnest pocket watch calibre and the first skeletonised pocket watch, it showed that the brand was willing to push boundaries in movement design. That same mindset continues in modern pieces – from tourbillon watches to high-complication models in the non-Royal Oak families.

All of this is documented and preserved not just in the Audemars Piguet archives, but also at the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet, housed in Audemars Piguet’s oldest building and its stunning glass spiral extension in Le Brassus. For anyone serious about understanding Audemars Piguet’s place in watchmaking, a visit there tells you more than any brochure.

Recognition, Milestones, and the Luxury Watch Market

As the brand grew, Audemars Piguet won an honourable mention at various observatory trials and exhibitions – you’ll often see records noting that Piguet won an honourable mention for technical achievements. These early recognitions helped establish and reinforce Audemars Piguet's reputation as a serious horological player.

Over the decades, many a watch sold by AP has gone on to become a sought-after vintage piece. At auctions, rare Royal Oak models, early perpetual calendars, and special editions celebrating the anniversary of the Royal Oak regularly set strong prices. Each important watch sold into a collection adds another layer to Audemars Piguet’s heritage narrative.

That’s why, today, when you look at the popularity of Audemars in the secondary market, it’s no surprise. The mix of low volume, bold design and consistent innovation has made an Audemars Piguet watch one of the most recognisable symbols of success in the world of luxury.

Audemars Piguet Today

Audemars Piguet today is still based in Le Brassus, still focused on relatively limited production, and still deeply connected to its roots. The Audemars Piguet heritage team and the Audemars Piguet archives make sure the past is never forgotten, while the product teams push forward with new watch designs in the Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, Royal Oak Concept, Code 11.59, and other lines.

Whether it’s a Royal Oak wristwatch in steel, a rose gold Royal Oak, a complicated Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, or a high-tech Royal Oak Concept Laptimer, the common thread is clear: Audemars Piguet created and continues to refine some of the most distinctive designs and movements in the industry.