Audemars Piguet, renowned for its high watchmaking legacy, has launched a dazzling collection of High Jewellery that stands on the shoulders of its iconic Royal Oak timepiece
“Creativity is fostered in an environment that removes barriers for inspiration,” Ilaria Resta, CEO of Audemars Piguet, states matter of factly when we meet to discuss the latest chapter in the watchmaker’s legacy: High Jewellery. When I was first given the news that one of Switzerland’s oldest watchmaking manufactures was plotting such a pivot, I was momentarily stunned. But when you chat to the woman at the helm, it’s a creative and commercial decision that makes total sense in mere minutes.
Audemars Piguet has been on a mission throughout 2026 to prove that the word ‘barrier’ isn’t in its lexicon. At Geneva’s Watches & Wonders showcase this spring, the behemoth brand presented its Atelier des Établisseurs – a creative, collaborative hub intended to educate enthusiasts on the myriad artisanal techniques housed under the maison’s manufacture in Switzerland’s captivatingly tranquil Vallée de Joux. Three timepieces illustrated the lapidary skills, miniature engraving, grand feu enamelling, goldsmithing and gem setting required to bring these pieces to fruition – all, in fact, jewellery savoir faire.
“Jewellery and watchmaking have been interconnected for our entire history,” explains Ilaria, who took to the helm in 2024 and immediately dove deep into the archives. “You need to be rooted in the past as much as possible before you make choices for the future,” she qualifies, explaining how she came across copious examples of glittering glasses, buttons, perfume bottles and countless other items coded in jewellery-making. Its Heritage Collection features one especially important piece, a ‘Tutti Frutti’ jewellery watch from 1929 that glitters with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires, that was crafted in partnership wife Parisian jeweller Egouvillon Lafon & Cie Paris, while the 2000s delivered a consistent stream of High Jewellery watches and even some matching jewellery sets. When it comes to things that scintillate, it seems the 2026 launch is very much not Audemars Piguet’s first rodeo.
“Let’s not forget that Gérald Genta, the very father of the Royal Oak watch, was a jeweller himself,” adds Ilaria, who says she doesn’t see a strict separation between the two worlds. And nor do the manufacture’s clients, who have been clamouring for precious pieces to wear with their Royal Oaks ever since Ilaria re-launched the Mini Royal Oak in her inaugural year. “When we launched the Mini Royal Oaks, I was wearing the three different versions on the same wrist. And at first there were people asking me ‘why would you do that? It doesn’t make any sense.’ I said, well, I don’t know if it makes sense, but it’s beautiful,” she laughs.
Before long, Ilaria was far from the only one playing mix and match. “Today, jewellery and watchmaking are inreasingly being approached as complementary worlds. Many have approached me, not just women, saying: ‘Why don’t you give us accessories’? she explains. “When you go outside the boundaries of the functionality of watchmaking, you realise that watches are not only meant to tell the time. You realise that it is about the bracelet, the case, and the finishings; you realise that clients want to accessorise their watches with a design identity that echoes their watch – and notably their Royal Oak.”
Iliara listened, and worked directly with clients when considering the direction of design.
Thus, the new High Jewellery Collection is a tale in three parts; a Frosted Gold Series, featuring cuffs and necklaces that borrow directly from the bracelet of the Royal Oak,
finished with its signature dappled gleam, mirror polished studs and chamfers. Next, comes the Risoud Eclipse – featuring a necklace crafted from black PVD titanium that showcases extraordinary sugarloaf emeralds embraced by a halo of white diamonds, referencing the Risoud Forest under a blanket of darkness except for a striking eclipse. Its partner, a chunky cuff, echoes its design codes in the same jet back PVD titanium, adorned with a similar series of eye-catching emeralds that punctuate its glossy links, each meticulously connected to ensure elegant articulation.
Then comes the Dream Of Joux pieces; a suite of rose, yellow and white gold cuffs that evoke the frozen lakes, clear skies and elegant flora of the manufacture’s home by the heart of Swiss watchmaking country, seamlessly set with diamonds, sapphires, spessartites, tourmalines amethysts, tsavorites and topaz. Each piece has a distinct personality, conjured by the colour palette of myriad gems that speak to the bright sun, scintillating snow and delicate petals of the flora that are native to la Valée de Joux, requiring expert stone sourcing, cutting and setting. The effect, however, is far from twee – these are ultra-modern, daring designs that are set to be conversation starters at only the most elite dinner parties; it’s easy to envisage a woman who already owns multiple Audemars Piguet timepieces wanting to broaden her horizons and invest in a jewellery-led expression of the maison’s artisanal expertise.
Part of the Dream of Joux collection is a mesmerising tie necklace that was conceived to evoke the valley’s snowcapped wonderland during winter. Here, pear shape white diamonds cascade down the décolletage alongside a series of anodised blue titanium links snow set with icy blue sapphires. This theme continues with a pair of matching earrings, where three – very sizeable – diamonds descend into the same piercing blue strip of shimmering links, before culminating in a hypnotic pear shape diamond. The glimmer of their blue stones is utterly uninterrupted, achieved by using different diameters of sapphires to create a carpet of total scintillation across the entire surface. These are the kind of earrings that would waltz onto the red carpet like they were born to be there, but could equally make any white T-shirt look a million bucks. Ultimately, the suite is hyper contemporary, yet remains unmistakably Audemars Piguet; one of the oldest watchmakers in the world.
This has always been the manufacture’s USP – its ability to time travel between avant garde audacity while remaining grounded in the artisanry that underpins its expertise. It also understands its female customers better than most Swiss watchmakers, perhaps because it has one steering the ship who is actually taking the time to sit down and ask, what do women want? “Ultimately the role of a watch is to inspire emotion. We had so many people asking for these pieces, and I wanted to have that conversation,” she explains. “And, from that conversation, the love followed.”
Imagery Supplied
Lead Image: The show-stopping Dream of Joux Necklace in Blue Titanium and 18-Karat White Gold with Pear-Shaped Diamonds