Audemars Piguet has launched a new division, Atelier des Établisseurs, aimed at reviving the brand’s historical coordination of independent artisans to create hand-crafted timepieces. The announcement was made in April during Watches and Wonders Geneva, where visitors witnessed artisans engraving, enameling, and polishing watches in a live workshop setting. This initiative is part of the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s effort to blend traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design, producing highly limited editions.
Atelier des Établisseurs, which translates as "Workshop of the Artisan Coordinators," draws inspiration from Audemars Piguet’s origins in 1875, when the company operated as an établisseur—coordinating decentralized specialists in the Vallée de Joux region rather than producing all components in-house. Historically, independent craftspeople produced movements, cases, dials, and jewelry pieces, which were then assembled by the établisseur. Today, Audemars Piguet functions as a vertically integrated manufacture handling nearly all steps from design to distribution, a shift that began some 20 years ago and has since limited creative flexibility.
The new division, staffed by four full-time employees and located in the brand’s original Le Brassus headquarters, aims to produce 15 to 20 pieces annually. These creations will combine historical influences with new artistic expressions, using existing Audemars Piguet movements to accelerate development. Sébastian Vivas, the company’s museum and heritage director who supervises the project, emphasized that Atelier des Établisseurs is not about replicating vintage models but about applying traditional know-how to create innovative backdropped by artisanal scarcity.
The inaugural collection presented at Watches and Wonders included three distinct designs. The Établisseurs Galets designed by independent Swiss creator Xavier J. Perrenoud features an 18-karat yellow gold pebble-shaped case with a turquoise dial and a flexible tiger’s-eye bracelet. Jewelry artist Nadia Morgenthaler engineered the bracelet to move fluidly using miniature ball joints, aiming for a “second skin” effect.
Another piece, the Établisseurs Nomade by Lucerne-based Ludovic Python, is a transformable watch made from onyx and meteorite that can serve as a pendant, pocket watch, or table clock. Powered by Caliber 7501, the movement was meticulously hand-skeletonized and bevel-finished over more than a month by Audemars Piguet watchmaker Jérôme Besançon.
The third creation, the Établisseurs Peacock, crafted by junior designer Kenan Giraud, is an 18-karat white gold secret watch shaped like a beetle. Its automaton mechanism, driven by Caliber 3098.2, reveals an enameled miniature peacock beneath engraved wings.
Audemars Piguet Chief Executive Ilaria Resta described the division as a way to “broaden the conversation” about the brand while staying rooted in its creative heritage. The initiative reflects the company’s efforts to balance artisanal exclusivity with the pressures of scale. Last year, the Royal Oak, the brand’s signature model introduced in 1972, accounted for roughly 88 percent of sales, totaling 2.28 billion Swiss francs out of an estimated 2.6 billion francs. Despite this dominance, Atelier des Établisseurs offers an avenue for experimentation and the preservation of traditional métiers d’art practices, funded in part by proceeds from the Royal Pop collaboration with Swatch, which launched globally in May and drew large crowds.
The new division’s focus on craftsmanship and limited production underscores Audemars Piguet’s commitment to sustaining its artisanal roots amid the evolving landscape of luxury watchmaking.