Audemars Piguet Returns to Watches and Wonders

After several years of presenting on its own terms, Audemars Piguet came back to Geneva's watch fair this year, with a new jumping hour, a new workshop concept, and the Royal Oak still at the centre of everything.

Watches and Wonders is the largest watch fair in the world, held each spring in Geneva. The foundation behind it was established in 2022 at the initiative of Rolex, Richemont and Patek Philippe. For several years, Audemars Piguet chose to present its new watches independently. This year it came back.

The Neo Frame Jumping Hour

The piece that drew most attention was the Neo Frame Jumping Hour, inspired by an Audemars Piguet design from 1929 and powered by the house's first self-winding jumping hour movement, the Calibre 7122.

A jumping hour does away with the hour hand. The hour appears as a numeral in a window and changes instantly on the hour, jumping from one number to the next, while the minutes are shown separately. It is an old idea, popular in the decorative watches of the 1920s, and a difficult one to make well, because the movement has to store energy and release it all at once, precisely on the hour.

A new workshop

Audemars Piguet also introduced the Atelier des Établisseurs, a workshop concept built around individual craftsmanship. It reflects a broader direction across the industry this year, towards visible handwork and the traditions of the Vallée de Joux.

The Royal Oak, still at the centre

Whatever the novelties, the Royal Oak remains the watch Audemars Piguet is known for. Gérald Genta drew it in 1972: an octagonal bezel held by eight visible screws, a tapisserie dial, and a bracelet that flows directly from the case.

It is also the watch where condition matters most. The case alternates brushed and polished surfaces with edges meant to stay sharp, and a single careless polish destroys geometry that cannot be restored. If you are buying one pre-owned, look at the edges before anything else.