Haute Horlogerie watchmaker Audemars Piguet has announced its first book dedicated to the history of the Manufacturer’s complicated wristwatches from the 20th century.

The AP anthology chronicles the esteemed Swiss watchmaker’s finest timepieces took four years of archival research and writing to complete.

From the world’s first minute repeating wristwatch crafted in 1892 until the revival of complications in the late 1970s, Audemars Piguet has produced a grand total of only 550 complicated wristwatches, of which no two are identical.

Their historic collection comprises 35-minute repeaters, 188 calendar wristwatches, 307 chronograph wristwatches and 20 double complication wristwatches featuring both calendars and chronographs.

Audemars Piguet’s historic narrative is detailed with its cultural context, first generation historic documents, archival images, technical specifications and production data throughout the book.

In addition to the 550 complicated wristwatches, the book also tells the story of the revival of complications that occurred during the height of the Quartz Crisis in the late 1970s.

During a time of great change and disruption in the industry, Audemars Piguet shifted the focus back to complications, setting the stage for great developments and innovation during the 1980s, 1990s and into the 21st century.

Since the origins of Audemars Piguet, the company has sought to break new ground in the creation of complications while simultaneously embracing creativity with form language and design aesthetics.