Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet

About the museum

Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875 in Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux by the young watchmakers Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. The area had seen farmers making watch parts in winter since the late 18th century. The company remains in the hands of the founding families to this day. The first manufacture was built in 1907 next to the house in which the founders had started their workshop.

The Musée Atelier combines this historic founders' house with a spiral-shaped glass pavilion designed by the Danish firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and realized by the Swiss firm CCHE. 108 curved glass panes support a grassed steel roof weighing 470 tons; the route follows the spiral like the mainspring of a watch. The exhibition design comes from ATELIER BRÜCKNER and is composed like a musical score. The museum opened in June 2020.

Around 300 watches from 200 years of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux are on display, including masterpieces of complications, miniaturization and design. In the middle of the museum, watchmakers, jewelers, gem setters and engravers work in ateliers for Grandes Complications and Métiers d’Art; in the founders' house, historic watches are restored.

Highlights

• Spiral glass pavilion by Bjarke Ingels Group with a green steel roof
• Around 300 watches from 200 years of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux
• Open ateliers for Grandes Complications, Métiers d’Art and restoration
• Founders' house from 1875 as part of the route

Permanent exhibitions

• Hauptausstellung im Spiralpavillon – Around 300 watches from 200 years of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux, staged like a musical score in the glass pavilion by Bjarke Ingels Group.
• Die Ateliers – Living workshops for Grandes Complications, Métiers d’Art and the restoration of historic watches, where craftspeople can be seen at work.

Founded

2020

Operated by

Audemars Piguet

Admission & discounts

Prices according to the museum's FAQ. All tickets are booked online and go on sale 90 days before the visit.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is accessible for visitors with limited mobility and offers special facilities; the masterclass workshop is currently not suitable for wheelchair users. Animals are not allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 6+

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Children are welcome from 6 years. The "Little Watchmakers" masterclass is a separate offering for children, in which they work like watchmakers, accompanied by an adult.

Getting there & parking

In winter, the car should be equipped for driving in snow.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Lockers, Wi-Fi, toilets, a welcome drink and the museum shop are part of the visit; eating and drinking are not permitted inside the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit