2026 marks Audemars Piguet’s return to Watches and Wonders Geneva after leaving six years ago. The fifth largest Swiss luxury brand in terms of revenue, it is also the last major watchmaker to participate in this must-attend event for Haute Horlogerie, for which Luxus Plus is once again a partner.
This is big news: Audemars Piguet will be making its return to the Watches and Wonders exhibition at its next edition, scheduled to take place at Palexpo Geneva from April 14 to 20, 2026.
The announcement came at the end of September, the 150th anniversary of the watchmaker, which had left the show, then still called SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie), six years earlier.
The Swiss company saw its iconoclastic CEO, François Henry Bennahmias, leave at the end of 2023. He chose to devote himself to another entrepreneurial project (The Honorable Merchant Group) but nevertheless ensured a smooth transition with his new CEO, Ilaria Resta, who arrived in early 2024.
A show worthy of the occasion
At the time of the announcement in late September, Audemars Piguet had not yet won the Iconic Watch Prize for its Royal Oak Quantième Perpétuel model at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). This model is particularly dear to the Maison because of its 7138 caliber, a perpetual calendar protected by no fewer than five patents.
Audemars Piguet had also not yet re-exhibited its “Grosse Pièce” in its museum in Le Brassus, an 18-carat yellow gold pocket watch commissioned in 1914 and completed in 1921 for the London-based firm S. Smith & Sons. A heritage treasure that was thought to be lost, it boasts no fewer than nineteen complications, putting it on a par with the legendary Universelle of 1899.
The watchmaker in Le Brassus was the last of the established Swiss companies not to participate in the Watches & Wonders exhibition. The latest major arrival was at the 2022 edition with the simultaneous arrival of Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Chopard. Its turnover, estimated at 2.38 billion Swiss francs by Morgan Stanley Luxe Consult in the economic media outlet Bilan, makes it the fifth largest Swiss company.
When it left the SIHH (formerly Watches & Wonders) in 2019, the company was in the midst of a growth phase and expressed itself with great sobriety on this decision: “The Manufacture has embarked on a new chapter by placing customers at the center of its commercial strategy and deciding to establish direct and personal relationships with watch enthusiasts around the world.”
To make this triumphant return possible, even as Montblanc withdraws, the Salon, which had reached its capacity limits, is planning to expand its halls and upgrade its decor to a more luxurious standard.
In an interview with World Tempus media in recent days, the current CEO of Audemars Piguet, Ilaria Resta, confirmed the construction of a new manufacture in January 2026 and the highly anticipated opening of the AP House Geneva, scheduled for November 2026.
Finally, the Italian-born executive specified the upcoming rollout of new boutique concepts combining museum spaces with discovery areas. Audemars Piguet currently has 85 boutiques worldwide. The Maison justifies its desire to push the cultural envelope following the success of The House of Wonders, the first traveling exhibition in its history, which includes an immersive and entertaining seven-step journey. The CEO also praised the progress made by Dubai Watch Week in the area of edutainment (a mix of education and entertainment). The Maison, which hails from the Vallée de Joux, also took part in the show this year.
Featured photo: © Audemars Piguet
