Audemars Piguet defies watch downturn with 12% sales surge under Resta

Bottom Line Impact

AP's 12% sales growth to an estimated CHF 2.3 billion in a shrinking export market underscores that tightly controlled, innovation-led high-end strategies can expand revenues and sustain margins while materially elevating market position and brand equity at the very top of luxury watchmaking.

Key Facts

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  • Audemars Piguet's sales grew approximately 12% year-on-year as of end-October, reaching an estimated CHF 2.3 billion despite sector-wide softness and macro headwinds.
  • Swiss watch exports are forecast to decline for the second consecutive year in 2025, underscoring AP's significant outperformance versus the broader category.
  • AP delivered this growth while facing multiple cost and demand pressures: elevated U.S. tariffs, record gold prices, and a very strong Swiss franc compressing margins across the industry.
  • Key 2025 launches, including an innovative perpetual calendar and the wearability-focused RD5, signal an intensified focus on complex, high-ticket references aligned with ultra-affluent clients.
  • CEO Ilaria Resta, with a background in consumer goods, is actively reshaping production management and model-line strategy to better align with next-gen client expectations and controlled supply.

Executive Summary

Audemars Piguet is delivering double-digit growth, with sales up 12% to an estimated CHF 2.3 billion by end-October, even as Swiss watch exports are expected to decline for a second consecutive year in 2025. Ilaria Resta's leadership, high-end product innovation, and disciplined production management are reinforcing AP's pricing power and desirability at the very top of the market, offering a playbook for navigating luxury headwinds.

Actionable Insights

Immediate Actions (Next 30-90 days)
Accelerate a clear segmentation strategy that privileges ultra-high-end, low-volume, high-complexity references while methodically pruning lower-velocity SKUs in saturated price bands.
Rationale: AP's 12% growth in a declining export market validates a 'fewer, better, rarer' strategy anchored in technical content and tight supply, which can be adapted to your portfolio to protect margins and brand equity under macro pressure.
Role affected:CEO
Urgency level:immediate
Implement margin scenario planning that assumes sustained FX strength and high metal prices while preserving pricing discipline; prioritize selective list-price adjustments on innovation-led SKUs and direct channels rather than broad-based increases.
Rationale: AP's ability to grow through strong FX and record gold prices suggests that pricing power is strongest where product innovation and scarcity intersect; targeted increases here will offset input costs without triggering discounting dynamics.
Role affected:CFO
Urgency level:immediate
Short-term Actions (6-12 months)
Rebalance brand storytelling from heritage-heavy narratives to innovation- and wearability-led messaging that highlights tangible functional and aesthetic advances, particularly for complex pieces.
Rationale: AP's success with the innovative perpetual calendar and RD5 shows that next-gen clients respond to visible, user-relevant innovation rather than purely archival references, creating an opportunity to modernize communications and justify higher price points.
Role affected:CMO
Urgency level:short-term
Strategic Actions
Tighten wholesale allocation and renegotiate with key retailers toward mono-brand boutiques, elevated shop-in-shops, and data-sharing agreements that improve visibility on waitlists and end-customer profiles.
Rationale: AP's outperformance will reset retailer expectations and highlight the value of controlled distribution; mirroring this by shifting volume to higher-control channels can reduce grey-market leakage and increase client lifetime value.
Role affected:Chief Commercial Officer
Urgency level:strategic

Risks & Opportunities

Primary Risks
  • Excessive reliance on scarcity and waitlists could foster speculative demand, inflating grey-market prices and undermining long-term brand trust if secondary values correct sharply.
  • Input-cost and FX pressures (record gold prices, strong Swiss franc, U.S. tariffs) may compress margins if competitive intensity caps the ability to further increase prices in key markets.
  • Concentration on ultra-high-end collectors could limit reach with emerging affluent Gen-Z and younger millennials, creating a medium-term demographic gap if entry pathways are not thoughtfully curated.
Primary Opportunities
  • Use demonstrable outperformance to secure premium retail real estate and expand mono-brand boutiques in strategic cities (e.g., key U.S. hubs, Middle East, select Asian capitals) at favorable terms.
  • Leverage leadership in technical innovation (perpetual calendars, RD-series developments) to co-create limited capsules with top-tier clients and collectors, driving outsized margins and deepening loyalty.
  • Translate the CEO's consumer-goods expertise into more sophisticated client analytics, enabling personalized servicing, tailored allocation, and cross-selling across watch families and complications.

Supporting Details

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