Audemars Piguet Calibre 2875, Instructions For Use Manual

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1. THE AUDEMARS PIGUET FACTORY
AND ITS HISTORY
T
he Vallée de Joux: cradle of the watchmaker's art
In the heart of the Swiss Jura, around 30 miles north of Geneva, nestles a
landscape which has retained its natural charm to this day: the
Vallée de Joux.
Around the mid 18th century, the harsh climate of this mountainous region and
soil depletion drove the farming community settled there to seek other sources of
income. With their high degree of manual dexterity, inexhaustible creativity and
enormous determination, the inhabitants of the valley, known as
Combiers
, were
naturally drawn to watchmaking.
Due to their high quality, the movements they produced acquired great popularity
with the Geneva firms, who used them to create complete watches.
From 1740 onwards, watchmaking developed into the principal industry of the Vallée
de Joux. Thus this region was transformed, as an 1881 chronicle puts it, "into a land
of milk and honey, in which poverty has rapidly disappeared".
T
wo names for a great adventure
After working together closely from 1875, the two young and highly talented
watchmakers Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet founded their
own company on 17 December 1881 at Le Brassus, to which they gave the name
"The Audemars Piguet
&
Co. watchmaking factory"
. The former had Huguenot
roots and the latter came from one of the oldest families in the
Vallée de Joux
.
Seldom does one witness an encounter between two such promising individuals as
these exceptionally talented young watchmakers. From the beginning,
Jules-Louis
Audemars
took on the role of technical manager, whilst
Edward-Auguste Piguet
dealt mainly with the financial side of the business. Dividing responsibilities in
this way worked so well that it is the system which has been used by virtually every
succeeding generation, up to the present day.
As early as
1889 , the young firm was able to provide a spectacular demonstration
of its abilities at the tenth world exhibition in Paris : for the first time, a Grande-
Complication watch
was on show. From the outset, it earned
Audemars Piguet
distinction and recognition, and even today is regarded as one of the company's best
products. Besides the display for hours, minutes and seconds, this amazingly intricate
pocket-watch also features a minute-repeater striking mechanism, a chronograph with
dragging hand and a perpetual calendar.
Subsequently, the relatively young name began to establish itself astonishingly
quickly on a market hungry for complication watches. As well as the subsidiaries
already founded in London and Paris , more were soon opened in Berlin, New York
and Buenos Aires .
By 1907 , the steady growth rate necessitated the construction of a second building
at Le Brassus. After several enlargements, to mark the company's
125
th anniversary