Audemars Piguet launches its first Royal Oak high jewelry collection
The Swiss watchmaker's debut high jewelry collection draws design codes from its iconic sports watch, with 19 pieces set in precious stones, emeralds and sapphires.
Audemars Piguet has entered the high jewelry market with its inaugural Royal Oak Joaillerie collection, a 19-piece suite of necklaces, earrings, cuffs and chokers that translates the design language of its famed sports watch into precious jewelry. The debut, which launched during Paris Fashion Week, marks the watchmaker’s expansion into fine jewelry through pieces crafted in gold and anodized titanium, set with colored stones including emeralds, sapphires, amethysts and diamonds.
The collection draws its aesthetic from the Royal Oak watch, which debuted in 1972, borrowing the signature interlocking links and octagonal geometry that define the timepiece. Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta said the collection moves beyond the typical “volume-driven approach” to showcase one-of-a-kind pieces. “We looked at the bracelet almost as an object in its own right and asked how its geometry, rhythm and movement could translate into jewelry,” Resta said, according to Robb Report. “That opens up a different creative space for us.”
The standout pieces
The Dream of Joux line centers on a tie-style necklace crafted from white gold and blue titanium, anchored with 42 pear-shaped diamonds totaling around 63 carats and 1,670 blue sapphires totaling over five carats. A matching pair of earrings features eight pear-shaped diamonds ranging from 1.5 to 3 carats alongside 196 blue sapphires, according to Robb Report.
The Risoud Eclipse necklace and cuff, which take their names from a forest in the Vallée de Joux, combine blackened titanium and white gold with five sugarloaf emeralds totaling around 16.5 carats and three emeralds of approximately 12 carats in the cuff, both accented with diamonds. Six bejeweled cuffs round out the collection, including the Sunburst Royal Oak cuff with orange and yellow sapphires and spessartites. The Blueberries Royal Oak cuff depicts a blueberry bush branch through a composition of leaf-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds, amethyst cabochons and black spinel cabochons, according to Robb Report.
The Frosted Gold series
Several pieces feature the Frosted Gold finish, a hammered gold surface that Audemars Piguet developed with jewelry designer Carolina Bucci in 2016 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak for women. The series includes cuffs and necklaces in 18-karat white, pink and yellow frosted gold, representing the Vallée de Joux’s changing appearance throughout the day.
Drawing on jewelry heritage
The collection builds on Audemars Piguet’s existing jewelry work. The watchmaker has long collaborated with houses including Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari on pendant and ring watches. In the 1980s, it created its own jewelry workshop and later produced pieces including a Baroque cuff watch for its 125th anniversary and a punk-inspired Diamond Trilogy secret watch collection released between 2015 and 2017. The Royal Oak Joaillerie collection was codesigned by Nathalie Barzilay.
The timing reflects a broader shift in the luxury market toward jewelry. Morgan Stanley estimated the luxury sector would grow 2.5 percent in 2026, yet jewelry has become a bright spot, with customers increasingly viewing the category as an investment. Richemont’s jewelry maisons posted 24 percent growth in the third quarter ending June 30, compared with 8 percent for its watchmaking division. The inspiration for the collection came from observing how Audemars Piguet’s existing clients wear and stack the 23-millimeter Royal Oak Mini almost as jewelry, suggesting appetite for the brand’s design codes in forms beyond watches.
This article was compiled by the Glamorade editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
