Audemars Piguet’s Exhibition Marks a New Chapter in China

From late May to June 8, Audemars Piguet’s “The House of Wonders” exhibition transformed the Shanghai Exhibition Centre into an immersive journey through 150 years of independent watchmaking. As the first stop of the brand’s global anniversary tour—and its most ambitious showcase in mainland China in over a decade—the exhibition signaled a renewed commitment to deepening cultural resonance with Chinese audiences.

Structured as a multisensory walkthrough, the experience guided visitors from the Swiss Jura village of Le Brassus, where the maison was founded in 1875, through six thematic spaces. These included “Timekeepers’ Universe,” a walk-in recreation of a watchmaker’s atelier, and “Treasures Room,” where nearly 200 archival and contemporary timepieces revealed the full range of Audemars Piguet’s horological mastery, from chiming complications and astronomical mechanisms to precision chronographs.

Yet this was not simply a display of technical feats. Carefully edited visuals, tactile scenography, and narrative immersion recontextualized the brand’s heritage in ways that felt attuned to Chinese cultural rhythms. Rather than relying on nostalgia, The House of Wonders bridged past and future—placing centuries-old savoir-faire in conversation with new material research and design-led innovation. In doing so, it presented craftsmanship not as static tradition but as a living, forward-looking dialogue.

By opening the global tour in Shanghai, Audemars Piguet affirmed China’s place not only as a market of scale, but of taste and influence. The exhibition’s refined storytelling, archival depth, and commitment to curatorial excellence underscored a clear strategic vision: to engage Chinese audiences with sincerity, intelligence, and cultural fluency. The approach aligns effortlessly with the principles of the Jingzhi Success framework.

The brand exhibition may have closed its doors in Shanghai, but the impression it leaves is enduring—one that reflects not only Audemars Piguet’s storied past, but its evolving alignment with the values and aspirations shaping China’s future luxury landscape.