

Contemporary achievements include the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar and the world’s first mechanical chronograph with a three-column wheel and independent memory. Milestones like the world’s first-minute repeating movement launched in 1892, the first skeleton watch in 1934, and ultra thin-automatic tourbillon in 1986 sealed Audemars Piguet’s fate as a world-class watchmaker. This saw the birth of the brand, Audemars Piguet, with a rich history and unparalleled legacy. Audemars PiguetĮstablished in 1875, two young watchmakers, Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet came together to realize their passion for watchmaking and creating complicated movements.

Let’s look at the history and milestones of the brands, to understand why they are a league of their own. However, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet continue to prove they are worthy of the name. The watch world stands divided today on associating just these three brands as the Holy Trinity. Consequently, watch aficionados associated the term, Holy trinity, to these brands, crowning them the unbeaten kings of Swiss luxury watchmaking. Vacheron Constantin dates back to 1755, Patek Philippe to 1839, and Audemars Piguet to 1875. Moreover, these three are some of the oldest brands in the watch industry. But they did so without compromising the traditional methods to produce world-class watches with the highest decadence. Going back to the Quartz crisis during the 1970s and the 1980s, the watch industry saw a decline in Swiss manufacturers at the outset of a digital revolution.ĭespite these factors, the Big Three have stood strong, radically transforming when needed. Any modern technology or new innovation can easily make some brands irrelevant. You might be wondering, what makes these three brands the Holy Trinity, and who gave them the name? It is a well-known fact that the watch industry is ever dynamic. In recognition of their journey to the pinnacle of Haute Horlogerie, these three brands received this name in the 1970s. While these brands are unique in their own way, they all share a rich legacy, developing in-house movements, impeccable finishing, artful watchmaking, and high-quality craftsmanship. The “Holy Trinity of Watches” denotes the three leaders of the world of horology – Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin. Every industry has leaders who dominate the market and the quality of the products. The Holy Trinity of Watches (or also commonly called the Big Three), a name bestowed to three prestigious watchmakers - Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet - for their pioneering spirit, boundless innovation, and transforming the luxury watch landscape.
