In 1875, Jules-Louis Audemars (1851-1918), in order to cope with orders for luxury calibres emanating from the great watch making houses in Geneva, became officially associated with his childhood friend, Edward-Auguste Piguet (1853-1919). He handled the technical management of the small company, while his associate took charge of sales and marketing aspects, traveling through many towns and subsequently continents to establish direct contact with connoisseurs.

The company prospered and developed, coming through World War I and the Great Depression without being unduly affected, thanks to the production of ladies' wristwatches and ultra-thin models. When World War II ended, the Manufacture reorganized to create a more accessible line of watches. The repercussions of the watchmaking crisis in the 1970s were scarcely felt by the company, mainly because in 1972 it made the daring choice to launch the world's first high-end sports watch in steel: the Royal Oak. The Manufacture currently employs a staff of 500 worldwide and is starting the new millennium on a resolutely confident note.

The first wristwatch with tourbillion and mechanical winding, the smallest self-winding watch with perpetual calendar, the Dual Time, the Ladies Minute Repeater Chiming watch… throughout its history, the Manufacture has introduced a succession of landmark records and world firsts. Driven by this same conquering spirit, it is still producing the world's thinnest and most complex calibers.