Key Highlights
- Audemars Piguet debuts at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 with the immersive House of Wonders exhibition.
- The Atelier des Établisseurs presents timepieces shaped by cocreation and rare crafts rooted in établissage.
- A new Inside the Dream episode follows the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5.
- The AP Lab at Pont de la Machine offers interactive watchmaking experiences for the Geneva public.
- The Manufacture highlights its blend of heritage, innovation and contemporary Haute Horlogerie.
Audemars Piguet’s House of Wonders exhibition space at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026″ />The House of Wonders: A Living Manufacture in Geneva
For its first appearance at Watches and Wonders Geneva, Audemars Piguet brings the spirit of Le Brassus to Palexpo with the House of Wonders, an exhibition that traces mechanical watchmaking through a sequence of themed rooms. The route shows how the Manufacture combines handcraft and technology from raw components to finished timepieces while underlining its family ownership and forward-looking mindset.
Historic creations sit alongside contemporary watches as artisans demonstrate hand-finishing and assembly, before a final double space presents successive generations of Research and Development on one side and the Atelier des Établisseurs on the other, linking ergonomics, materials and rare crafts.
Atelier des Établisseurs: Reviving the Spirit of Établissage
The Atelier des Établisseurs reinterprets the historic établissage system that shaped Swiss watchmaking, in which specialised workshops supplied components to an établisseur who assembled complete timepieces. Audemars Piguet began as such an établisseur in the Vallée de Joux before becoming a fully integrated Manufacture.
Echoing this ecosystem today, the atelier frames collaborations with artisans inside and outside the company to create pieces that blend historical methods with modern techniques, placing cocreation and rare crafts alongside current materials, precision engineering and refined ergonomics.
Within the House of Wonders, the first three timepieces from the Atelier des Établisseurs appear as early expressions of this project, bringing together specialised craftspeople, designers and watchmakers and suggesting how future collaborations may unfold.
Inside the Dream: A Watchmaking Journey on Screen
Audemars Piguet complements the fair with a new episode of its Inside the Dream series, produced with Terminal 9 Studios, which continues the behind-the-scenes perspectives introduced in 2022. The latest docufilm focuses on the Manufacture’s workshops and follows the journey of the patented Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5, launched for the brand’s 150th anniversary.
The documentary shows how designers, artisans, watchmakers and engineers refine ergonomics and balance tactile feedback with visual simplicity, revealing choices usually invisible once a watch is completed. Watches and Wonders hosts the premiere on 15 April at an event attended by Chief Executive Officer Ilaria Resta together with watchmakers and personalities involved in the project, before the episode becomes available on platforms including Prime Video, Canal+ and Tencent.
AP Lab: Craftsmanship Meets the City
Beyond Palexpo, Audemars Piguet joins the “In the City” programme with public activations in Geneva centred on an AP Lab at the Pont de la Machine. Running from 8 April to 28 June, this space welcomes both seasoned collectors and newcomers to discover watchmaking through themed games and hands-on exercises.
These activities invite visitors to explore approaches to design, materials and technical solutions in a setting that favours curiosity, opening the doors of the Manufacture’s craftsmanship to audiences who might otherwise encounter Haute Horlogerie only from a distance.
Why It Matters
For collectors and enthusiasts across the GCC, Audemars Piguet’s presence at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 signals a commitment to heritage and innovation expressed through tangible experiences on and off the fairground. By unveiling the House of Wonders, the Atelier des Établisseurs, Inside the Dream and the AP Lab together, the Manufacture shows how its craftsmanship, research and education initiatives are shaping the future of Haute Horlogerie on a global stage.
Following these developments allows regional audiences to track the evolution of the Manufacture’s designs, deepen their understanding of its storytelling and anticipate future presentations in key markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Atelier des Établisseurs at Audemars Piguet?
The Atelier des Établisseurs reinterprets the historic établissage system that shaped Swiss watchmaking, in which specialized workshops supplied components to an établisseur who assembled complete timepieces. Audemars Piguet began as such an établisseur in the Vallée de Joux before becoming a fully integrated Manufacture, and today the atelier frames collaborations with artisans to create pieces that blend historical methods with modern techniques.
Which Royal Oak model is featured in Audemars Piguet’s Inside the Dream documentary?
The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 is the focus of the new Inside the Dream episode, which was launched for the brand’s 150th anniversary. The docufilm reveals how designers, artisans, watchmakers and engineers refined the watch’s ergonomics and balanced tactile feedback with visual simplicity.
What is the AP Lab and where can visitors experience it?
The AP Lab at Pont de la Machine is a public activation space running from 8 April to 28 June in Geneva that welcomes collectors and newcomers to discover watchmaking through themed games and hands-on exercises. The space opens Audemars Piguet’s technical and design explorations to visitors exploring approaches to design, materials and technical solutions.
