Shortly before Christmas 1881, two young friends, Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, founded the Audemars Piguet & Cie, and quickly began production of very complex pocket watches. With success.
In 1882, they produced their own designs, with perpetual calendars or as chronographs. 1892, while the era of the wristwatch had not quite begun, they developed the worlds first wristwatch with minute repeater. 

But their most well-known watch is the modern, Gérald Genta designed, luxury watch Royal Oak. The 1972 appearance of the Royal Oak, as the first luxury steel watch, caused great sensation, due to their bold design, and are now considered timeless icons of watchmaking history.