The house
Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet founded their company in 1875 in Le Brassus, in the Vallée de Joux. The manufacture built a reputation for complicated watches, including minute repeaters and perpetual calendars, and has remained in Le Brassus ever since.
Milestones
- 1875: Founding by Audemars and Piguet.
- 1972: Royal Oak Reference 5402, designed by Gérald Genta and presented at the Basel fair, a luxury watch in stainless steel with an integrated bracelet and an octagonal bezel held by eight visible screws.
- 1990s onward: The Royal Oak family expands with chronographs and the larger Royal Oak Offshore.
Why collectors care
The Royal Oak overturned the idea that luxury watches had to be made of gold. Early “A-series” Royal Oaks and their dial details are among the most documented in the sports-watch field. Outside the Royal Oak, vintage Audemars Piguet dress watches and complicated pieces offer craftsmanship that is often under-appreciated.
Vintage models to explore
- Early Royal Oak Ref. 5402 in steel
- 1950s–60s manual-wind dress watches in gold
- Ultra-thin automatic watches from the 1960s and 70s
Royal Oaks have been widely imitated and altered. Always buy with documentation and an independent inspection. This profile is a historical summary only.