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A udemars Piguet's illustrious legacy traces its roots to centuries of watchmaking expertise, long before the Royal Oak's industry-redefining release in 1972.
Founded in 1875 in Le Brassus, Switzerland, by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, the brand built its reputation on exceptional craftsmanship, technical innovation, and elegant designs.
With a history steeped in creating highly complicated timepieces—from perpetual calendars and minute repeaters to ultra-thin movements—Audemars Piguet became synonymous with horological excellence. This foundation of mastery and innovation set the stage for the AP Royal Oak, which would not only mark a new chapter for the brand but also revolutionize the world of luxury sports watches.
Below we review a number of notable Audemars Piguet models beyond the venerated AP Royal Oak, each highlighting the watchmaker's design flair and technical excellence.
This Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Grande Sonnerie was once considered as one of the rarest and most highly regarded watch complications ever created. The grande sonnerie chimed the hours and quarters automatically every 15 minutes, and the petite sonnerie chimed every hour. A pusher at 11 o'clock activated the chime on demand, while a slide at 2 o'clock offered different settings to choose between, such as the grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, or silence.
Housed in a 38.5mm pink gold case, and from a limited production series of 50 watches, this creation from Audemars Piguet drew significant collector interest at Sotheby's Important Watches sale in Hong Kong.
This Audemars Piguet Répétition Minutes John Schaeffer Reference 25881 sold for 108,000 GBP in May 2024, through our London office.
In 1907, Audemars Piguet developed their first minute repeater wristwatch for John Schaeffer, an American industrialist. This groundbreaking prototype boasted a distinctive cushion-shaped case and displayed John Schaeffer's name as the numerals on the dial.
Carrying forward the legacy of the cushion design and incorporating the minute repeater complication, this iteration of the Audemars Piguet Répétition Minutes represented an exceedingly rare horological masterpiece. Its rarity demonstrated by its limited production run of just 10 pieces.
Notably, this extraordinary Audemars Piguet watch not only housed a minute repeater mechanism within its elegant 33.5 mm platinum case, but also presented a captivating dial configuration.
The dial featured a satellite hour display using three star wheels, which gracefully indicated the time along the minute track positioned at 12 o'clock. This ingenious mechanism involved the use of three transparent sapphire disks, known as star wheels, each adorned with four hour indicators. These disks were fixed to a central rotating wheel. With the turning of the assembly, the hour indicator corresponding to the present time would come into view and subsequently traverse a 120-degree segment representing the minutes. By observing the visible hour indicator aligned with the current minute, one could effectively read the time.
Originally, each disk remained concealed until it ascended within the arc where the background provided a contrasting backdrop, rendering the digits clearly legible. When first developed, this mesmerizing ‘Star Wheel’ system revolutionized timekeeping, offering a unique and visually captivating method of indicating hours and minutes.
This AP watch, number 9 out of 10, featured a purple dial that remained partially transparent, providing a tantalizing glimpse into the intricate inner workings of the watch. Overall, this remarkable creation from Audemars Piguet stood as a testament to the brand's exceptional craftsmanship and represented a truly awe-inspiring marvel in the world of haute horology.
This Audemars Piguet Reference 25825PT.OO.D002XX.01 Jules Audemars Grande Sonnerie sold for 239,400 USD in December 2022, significantly exceeding its high estimate of 80,000 USD.
With a long standing history of creating striking complications, Audemars Piguet perfected the minute repeating function with the carillon mechanism. This mechanism struck quarter hours at different pitches with three hammer strokes on different gongs, resulting in a fascinating musical effect when activated. The dynamograph function provided instantaneous indication of the torque of the mainspring barrel, hence allowing optimum performance.
Crafted in a 39mm platinum case, this striking Audemars Piguet watch came complete with its limited edition miniature piano presentation box.
This Audemars Piguet Repetition Minutes 'Piece Unique' sold for 120,000 USD in June 2022, significantly exceeding its high estimate of 50,000 USD.
In 1892, a significant milestone at Audemars Piguet was reached with the creation of the first-ever minute repeater wristwatch in history. Initially conceived as a ladies' pendant watch, it underwent a transformation into a wristwatch. This pioneering creation stood as a testament to the collaborative efforts of two Audemars Piguet watchmakers, who delivered the groundbreaking 13-line Lépine movement to Louis Brandt & Frère.
Audemars Piguet was also the first watchmaker to develop a skeletonized wristwatch in 1934, a practice the brands has been perfecting ever since.
This Audemars Piguet watch embraced both of these skills in one form. Cased in pink gold and made to celebrate the firm’s 125th anniversary, this AP watch was engraved ‘Piece Unique 125 ans’ on the case back.
This Audemars Piguet 'N°001' Reference 5548PT sold for 76,200 CHF in May 2024, a material outperformance against its high estimate of 40,000 CHF.
At times when quartz movements were threatening to change the watch industry forever, Audemars Piguet carried on with what they have always been doing best, creating extraordinary mechanical watches.
The brand combined a perpetual calendar with an automatic movement to launch the reference 5548 in 1978. This Audemars Piguet watch was revered and remained in production until circa 1991.
This Audemars Piguet watch ticked all the boxes for any serious collector. The watch came directly from the original owner, remained in very good condition, and was equipped with a rare and extremely sought after blue 'Tuscan' dial. The watch was also numbered 1 from a limited edition series of 32 platinum models.
The watch came complete with a digital extract from the archives of Audemars Piguet, a setting pin and a presentation case with outer packaging.
This Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Reference 26393OR.OO.A002KB.01 sold for 228,600 HKD in October 2023.
In 2019, Audemars Piguet introduced the Code 11.59 lineup, which marked a new milestone for the brand. The design of this Audemars Piguet watch featured innovative hollow lugs and a curved sapphire crystal, while the middle case paid homage to the iconic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak design.
Perfectly balanced, this avant-garde Code 11.59 presented the opportunity for collectors to acquire an Audemars Piguet watch that could yet come to represent a modern classic from the brand.
At Sotheby’s our Audemars Piguet experts have brought a wide range of extraordinary examples to market, making us well placed to advise clients on the sale or acquisition of an Audemars Piguet watch. Work with Sotheby's specialists and in doing so be part of our community of passionate watch enthusiasts and collectors.
Trust our worldwide network of leading Audemars Piguet specialists from a globally renowned auction house established in 1744.
