Audemars Piguet celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025. Exceptionally, this article is not about a movement, but about the book that Audemars Piguet published in October 2025 to celebrate this event:
The Watch – Stories and Savoir Faire
Why am I presenting this book here, even though I don’t own an AP watch myself, not even a movement? Because the content is so different from what you would expect!
On an anniversary, one would expect a detailed description of the company’s history and many pictures of the manufacturer’s watches, such as the famous Royal Oak. Of course, there are a few snippets of this, but the focus is elsewhere. You can guess where this focus lies by studying the table of contents:
- The Dial
- The Case
- The Bracelet and Strap
- The Movement
- Complications
AP describes the content of the book accordingly with the words A Journey to the Heart of the Watch.
On almost 600 pages, the manufacture of all components of a watch is described in detail. In addition to the technology, the book also deals with the functionality of the components, aesthetics, and the people who make it all possible.
Anyone interested in how watch movements work will find lots of interesting information and beautiful pictures here.
Where there is light, there is also shadow, of course. There are two points that I don’t like so much:
- At almost 600 pages, the book is very thick and weighs more than two kilograms, but it only has a paperback cover. In my opinion, a hardcover would have significantly increased the value of the book.
- Personally, I would have liked to see an illustrated overview of as many of the manufacturer’s watch movements as possible. Unfortunately, this is missing. There isn’t even a list without pictures.
Nevertheless, I really like the book; it’s not often that a watch manufacturer celebrates its 150th anniversary!
The book is available in English and French (La Montre – Histoires et savoir-faire) and can be purchased in bookstores.