Audemars Piguet Watches
The perfect match of technicality and watchmaking prowess, Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet possessed unique strengths and characteristics that effortlessly combined to create one of the world’s premier luxury watch brands. Their reputation for innovation and disruption have seen Audemars Piguet watches become highly regarded in terms of desirability, performance and investment potential.
The History of Audemars Piguet
The Audemars Piguet story began in 1874, when Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet reconnected after previously knowing each other since childhood. Both were already heavily involved in the watchmaking industry, with Audemars being highly technical and Piguet being the master watchmaker. They both possessed a unique set of skills and experience that made them the perfect match, so they decided to form a company together in 1875. The two split their roles with Audemars looking after the production and product development side of things, and Piguet bringing the timepieces to life. Later in the company’s history, Piguet would also discover a passion for sales, marketing and management, so shifted into that role instead.
Audemars Piguet made its first groundbreaking timepiece in 1892 with the release of the first minute repeater wristwatch. They followed this up just a few years later with the “Grand Complication” pocket watch – a model that featured seven unique complications, including a perpetual calendar, deadbeat seconds, minute repeater and split-seconds hand. The passion for innovation continued after both founders had passed away, with the creation of the thinnest pocket watch calibre in 1925, the first skeletonised pocket watch in 1934, and the release of the thinnest wristwatch in 1946.
The Watch Designed in a Day
While the watchmaking industry as a whole was struggling to cope with the Quartz crisis in the 1970s, Audemars Piguet saw it as an opportunity. The company’s vision and ingenuity at this time ended up solidifying its place in watchmaking history. On the day before the 1972 Swiss Watch Show (now called Baselworld), the Audemars Piguet managing director met up with famous designer Gerald Genta and spoke of his desire to create a whole new type of timepiece – a luxury sports watch. Genta was so inspired by this idea that he immediately set to work, creating the now-iconic Royal Oak.
Thanks to its incredible shock and water resistance, the Royal Oak became an instant hit with ardent watch fans who loved the outdoors. Drawing inspiration from traditional brass diving helmets, the timepiece’s design defied many firmly-established conventions in luxury watchmaking – further reinforcing the Audemars Piguet brand desire to disrupt and innovate.
Audemars Piguet Today
Over a decade later, the flagship Royal Oak received an important upgrade in the form of the Royal Oak Offshore. Despite these unconventional models polarising opinion at launch, they have now been accepted as defining timepieces for the brand. The company also released the bold Millenary collection in 1995, with the name chosen to represent the turn of the millennium. Much like the Royal Oak, the public response to the Millenary was initially apprehensive. Nowadays, the collection has become one of Audemars Piguet’s standout offerings.
Throughout its history and even today, Audemars Piguet has never stopped innovating. To mark its 125th anniversary, the brand released a highly-complicated model that showcased the Equation of time, sunrise, sunset, and a perpetual calendar mechanism. No matter if you choose the famous Royal Oak series, a Millenary or one of the brand’s more complicated timepieces, you know you are in possession of an icon when you purchase an Audemars Piguet.
Second-Hand Audemars Piguet Watches from Blowers Jewellers
If you are interested in purchasing Audemars Piguet watches, or any other item of luxury jewellery, Blowers Jewellers should be your destination of choice. We have lived and breathed the luxury watch industry for several decades, cultivating a reputation for both the quality of our service and advice. Our team is committed to helping our clients find the right item of jewellery for them and will work to gain a thorough understanding of their needs, before using our expertise to recommend what we believe is the best option.
We have a wide range of pre-owned Audemars Piguet watches, both in a used and unused condition. Each individual item is hand-chosen by our experts and comes with a warranty of between 12 months to five years. You can also view all of our luxury Audemars Piguet watches in person by visiting our boutique in Hull or by appointment at our office in London’s Mayfair.
Blowers Jewellers can also assist if you are looking to sell or part-exchange your Audemars Piguet watch. Simply provide us with some details about your timepiece and we will reply with what we believe is the best market price in just 48 hours.
For more information about how Blowers Jewellers can help you, contact a member of our team today or visit us at one of our boutiques. We will do everything we can to assist.