Audemars Piguet to Showcase Rare Horological Wonders at Singapore Exhibition

Chapter 1: Looking Back And Beyond. Images courtesy of Audemars Piguet.

Swiss watchmaking titan Audemars Piguet is bringing its legacy of fine craftsmanship to Singapore in what promises to be an immersive public exhibition titled Audemars Piguet: Perspectives on Time. Running from 10 to 13 September 2026 at The Gallery Theatre in the National Museum of Singapore, the showcase invites seasoned collectors and newcomers alike to explore the Manufacture’s craftsmanship, history, and technical innovation.

Conceived specifically for Singapore, the exhibition gathers rare historical timepieces from the Audemars Piguet Museum in Le Brassus, Switzerland, several of which are being displayed for the very first time, alongside contemporary creations across four themed chapters.

Left to Right: Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak (1972), Grande Complication (1987) & Coin Watch Ultra-thin (1991). Images courtesy of Audemars Piguet.

The journey begins with Looking Back and Beyond, which seeks to find meaning in Audemars Piguet’s history. The scene opens with the Manufacture’s 1875 roots in the Vallée de Joux, where founders Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet joined forces. Key exhibits include the original Series A 1972 Royal Oak designed by Gérald Genta, which challenged industry conventions and yet today supplies the very definition of the sports elegance wristwatch; the 1987 Grande Complication pocket watch, which demonstrated the Manufacture’s commitment to complicated watches in the era of quartz watches; and the whimsical 1991 Coin Watch, featuring an ultra-thin movement concealed inside a genuine 1904 US$20 gold coin.

Chapter 2: Guided By The Cosmos. Image courtesy of Audemars Piguet.

In Guided by the Cosmos, the focus shifts to astronomical timekeeping inspired by the night skies over the Jura Mountains – the same firmament that looms above the Manufacture of course. Timekeeping had a close relationship with heavenly bodies, and it still does. The star attraction of the room, no pun intended, and the exhibition’s crown jewel, is the 1921 “Grosse Pièce”. This pocket watch happens to have the honour of being the most complicated watch of any kind that Audemars Piguet made in the 20^th century. It houses 19 complications, including a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon, and a celestial dial depicting the London night sky with 315 stars. After spending decades in private collections, this historically important watch was acquired by Audemars Piguet at Sotheby’s New York in December 2025 for US$7,736,000 during the brand’s 150th anniversary year.

Top – Bottom: “Grosse Pièce” (1921; Smith and Son Ultra-Complicated Pocket Watch). Chapter 3: The Beauty Within. Images courtesy of Audemars Piguet.

The third chapter, The Beauty Within, highlights the art of openworking, where watchmakers meticulously skeletonise movement components to achieve striking visual depth, without compromising structural integrity. The timekeeping instruments here span centuries, from before Audemars Piguet’s founding even. This is epitomised by a circa 1770 gem-set pocket watch signed Lépine Paris, which is demonstration of the art of classical baroque openworking. The story moves on to a 1976 hand-engraved openworked wristwatch, featuring the seminal ultra-thin Calibre 2120SQ, and closes out in the architectural stylings of 21^st century openworked wristwatches, like the Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph of 2017.

Top – Bottom: Early Pocket Watch (Circa 1770), Openworked Self-winding Wristwatch (1976) and Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph (2017). Chapter 4: Giving Time A Voice. Images courtesy of Audemars Piguet.

Finally, Giving Time a Voice explores the acoustic realm of chiming mechanisms. Visitors can admire milestones such as a circa 1895 Grande Sonnerie pocket watch that chimes the hours and quarters automatically like a pocket clock tower, as well as the 1921 creation for a Tiffany & Co. executive, which measured a mere 15.8 mm in diameter as the smallest five-minute repeater of its era. Fittingly, the final piece here is a 20^th century expression of the Grand Sonnerie, the 1996 wristwatch model 25750.

Left to Right: Grande Sonnerie(Circa 1895), The World’s Smallest Five-Minute Repeater (1921) and Grand Sonnerie (1996). Images courtesy of Audemars Piguet.

Audemars Piguet: Perspectives on Time runs daily until 13 September 2026 from 10:30am to 6:00pm in 30-minute sessions. Admission is free, though advance registration is strongly encouraged due to limited capacity; walk-ins will be admitted subject to availability.

Advance registrations can be made here: bit.ly/ap-perspectivesontime

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