Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus

Location

Le Brassus, Switzerland

Address

Route de France 18, 1348 Le Brassus

Opened

2020

Type

Brand museum

Official website ↗

History of the museum

Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux, and the company has been based in Le Brassus ever since. It was formally registered as Audemars Piguet & Cie in 1881.

The Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet opened in June 2020. It connects the original house where Audemars and Piguet started their business in 1875 with a contemporary, spiral-shaped glass pavilion designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The exhibition scenography was developed by Atelier Brückner. According to the museum's Heritage and Museum Director, Sebastian Vivas, it was conceived as a "living museum" about the people who have shaped the brand since 1875. In 2022 Audemars Piguet also reopened the rebuilt Hôtel des Horlogers nearby.

What you can see

The main exhibition presents about 300 timepieces spanning more than 200 years of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux, including feats of complication, miniaturization and pioneering design. Highlights described by the museum include:

• The Universelle (1899): a pocket watch described as one of the most complicated watches ever produced, with 1,168 parts and 21 functions. The manufacture's specialized watchmakers spent four years restoring it.
• Grand complications: since 1882 the brand has kept the Grande Complication, combining a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and a perpetual calendar, at the center of its production.
• Perpetual calendars: in 1955 Audemars Piguet released the first perpetual calendar wristwatch with leap-year indication, in a series of nine pieces.
• The Royal Oak: introduced in 1972 and designed by Gérald Genta, it is often described as the first luxury sports watch.

The museum also runs temporary exhibitions; as of 2026 the official website features "The House of Wonders." Masterclasses, including one on the origins of the Royal Oak and a children's program called "Little Watchmakers," complement the visit.

Why it matters for watch collectors

For collectors and owners of Audemars Piguet watches, the Musée Atelier is the most complete place to see the brand's history. It shows the Royal Oak in the context of a much longer tradition of complicated watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux, a region that is also home to Blancpain and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Seeing pieces like the Universelle helps owners understand why the brand's complicated watches are so highly regarded, and the masterclasses offer a practical look at movement assembly and decoration.

Visiting (as of 2026)

The museum is at Route de France 18, 1348 Le Brassus, in the municipality of Le Chenit, canton of Vaud. By car it is about one hour from Geneva; parking is available in front of the main building at Route de France 16, and in winter cars should be equipped for snow. By train, Le Brassus station, the terminus of the Vallorbe–Le Brassus line, is a few minutes' walk away.

• Days: visits take place Tuesday to Saturday.
• Booking: prior booking is required for all visits.
• Format: guided visits last 120 minutes in small groups of up to 8 people, in English, French or German. Doors open 15 minutes before each visit.
• Masterclasses: Thursday afternoons, by reservation, in French, German and English, with hands-on watch decoration and movement assembly.
• Accessibility: the museum is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Ticket prices are shown in the booking system; check the official website for current conditions.

Related brands

• Audemars Piguet

Opening hours, prices and exhibitions change. Please check the official website before your visit.

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