The roots of Audemars Piguet date back to 1874, when the 23-year-old Jules-Louis Audemars met Edward-Auguste Piguet, then only 21, at Vallée de Joux, which is considered to be the cradle of prestige watch-making. When they graduated from school they went to Vallée de Joux to start working in their favorite field of watch manufacturing.  Thus Audemars started producing component parts for movements and Piguet got the job of a repasseur, whose job it was to make the final regulation of the timepiece. In 1875 they founded a firm later known as Audemars, Piguet et Cie.  Since 1882, members of the Audemars and Piguet families have always been on the board of directors and have thus directly or indirectly run the company.  

Audemars Piguet launched several watches like the smallest minute repeater in the world and a jumping second hand pocket watch. In 1925 Audemars Piguet introduced the world's thinnest pocket watch, at 1.32 millimeters. Only three years later the company created the first skeleton watch.  As the success of the company's business was rising its customers became Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Bulgari, who rebranded and sold Audemars Piguet watches under their own house names.  Today these watches are only identifiable as Audemars Piguet products by their serial numbers.

Audemars Piguet is a manufacture that can look back on a long company history - one that many other brands still involved in the laborious process of establishing a firm foundation story could definitely be envious of.  For over 130 years, Audemars Piguet has been one of the top names in the Swiss watchmaking industry.  These watchmakers have probably done more for the "renaissance of the mechanical watch" in the promoting ideas and stirring the imagination than any other top quality watchmaker.