Text by Takeshi Matsuyama

A special experience in Switzerland, the world's leading country for watches and jewelry

The town of Le Brassus, located in northwestern Switzerland, north of Geneva, is a place with a rich history of complicated watches.

Audemars Piguet, one of the luxury watch houses that were once known as the "Big Three" of Geneva alongside Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, has had its headquarters in the hometown of this complicated watch rather than Geneva.

It was also the land where a group of Protestants known as Huguenots fled to exile across the Jura mountains to escape the conflict between old and new Christianity.

Many of these people had skills in jewelry and watchmaking, and they moved to various places in the Joux Valley, including Le Brassus, and eventually to Geneva, evolving Switzerland into one of the world's leading countries for watches and jewelry.

Among those Huguenots, many members of the Piguet family demonstrated their exceptional talent in making watches with complex mechanisms, such as perpetual calendars and minute repeaters, during the era of pocket watches in the 19th century, and made a great contribution to the development of Swiss watchmaking.

Jules-Louis Audemars and Edouard-Auguste Piguet, the founders of Audemars Piguet, as well as Louis-Elise Piguet and other master craftsmen such as Victorin Piguet, who designed many complicated watches for Patek Philippe, have produced many masterpieces from this land that I call the "Valley of Vocations."

It is wonderful that this wonderful history is being passed down today by watchmakers such as Philippe Dufour in their workshops in the Vallée de Joux.

A world filled with the spirit of craftsmen who inherit traditions and work on honest manufacturing

Audemars Piguet watches are famous for the popular "Royal Oak," which is the pioneer of luxury sports watches, but they also have an incredible history of continuously producing complicated watches, dating back to the days of pocket watches.

I heard that a wonderful museum had been built that brings all that history together, so I went to see it.

Near the former headquarters, on land that was probably once a ranch, a museum shaped like an escargot has been built. It was impressive, with exhibits showing the principles of clocks as well as historical pieces made by the company.

One item I particularly wanted to see was a pocket watch with a Grande Petite Sonnerie mechanism, made long ago by Philippe Dufour.

There was an incredibly complicated watch that Dufour had created using old-fashioned machine tools, and I was finally able to see it in person.

A Grande Petite Sonnerie is a self-striking watch that chimes every 30 minutes when set to Petite Sonnerie, or every hour and quarter hour when set to Grand Sonnerie, and can also be made silent, requiring a much more complicated mechanism than a regular repeater watch.

It was amazing that a 20th century watchmaker had recreated this mechanism, something that no one had made for a long time, but what was even more amazing was that Dufour later recreated it as a wristwatch.

The museum not only displays old watches, but also a collection of amazing watches that Audemars Piguet is currently producing, allowing visitors to gain a clear understanding of how the mechanism of a watch has developed and evolved over time.

There was also an exhibition section celebrating the watchmakers who work at the company today, and the mechanical objects there were also well worth seeing.

It was also a fun sight to see the White Rabbit sculpture from Alice in Wonderland, which can speak human language and hold a large clock, on top of the museum building.

Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet
Route de France 16 1348 Le Brassus

What is "Takeshi Matsuyama: What connects people and time"?

A series in which Takeshi Matsuyama, a pioneering Japanese watch journalist, introduces the stories behind watches, people, and brands that he is drawn to from his own unique perspective.

Author profile

Japanese lyricist, writer, and editor. Born in Kyoto in 1946. In 1968, he wrote "Yopparai Returns" with his friends Kazuhiko Kato and Osamu Kitayama of The Folk Crusaders, which became a million-seller. In the 1970s, he was involved in the launch of magazines such as "Popeye" and "Brutus" published by Heibonsha (now Magazine House). Since the 70s, he has been fascinated by the world of mechanical watches, and has been promoting the appeal of watches. His many books include "Porridge of Wisdom and Tea of ​​Thought," "Great Japan Doraku Travelogue," and the play series "Chaai" and "Ororoji."