Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is delighted to announce the opening of its new AP House on Via Bagutta, in one of Milan’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, seven years after the AP House concept made its debut in this famous centre of history, culture, design, fashion and gastronomy. Located in the former Garage Traversi, which was entirely renovated in recent years to restore its original aesthetic, the new space spans five floors and combines heritage, technology and highly contemporary design to take the brand’s experiential retail approach to new heights.
An original concept debuted in Milan
Designed as a timeless space for lovers of the brand, the initial AP House concept was created in collaboration with some of the Manufacture’s most valued clients, imagining how brand founders Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet would live in the 21st century, travelling the world and sharing their passion for beautiful watches. The result is a sophisticated space, the AP House, where the comfort of home and human relationships take priority.
The first AP House debuted in Milan in 2017 with a conceptual space located on via Pietro Verri, strengthening the Manufacture’s presence in Italy, a market that has played a key role for the watch industry and for Audemars Piguet in particular, especially with the Royal Oak and the Royal Oak Offshore. Seven years after the launch of the very first AP House, Audemars Piguet takes this retail concept to the next level by opening a new space in the heart of the city to immerse watch lovers in the Audemars Piguet universe and offer them bespoke experiences.
The new AP House Milano joins the 19 existing locations situated in some of the most vibrant cities in the world, including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Munich, New York, Shanghai, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Zurich.
An AP House paying tribute to Milan’s landmark and culture
The new AP House Milano is located on the iconic Via Bagutta, just a few meters away from Piazza San Babila and the famous Montenapoleone fashion street. Revered for its architecture and culture, Via Bagutta was once home to many artists and intellectuals, including the playwright Carlo Goldoni and the writer Alessandro Manzoni.
The AP House is situated within the historic building of the ex-Garage Traversi, the city’s first multi-storey car park that operated from 1939 to 2003. Innovative for its time, Garage Traversi was designed by the architect Giuseppe De Min as part of the wider urban development project of Piazza San Babila. The rationalist-style building, characterised by its curved façades and steel-framed windows, was considered a remarkable example of architectural innovation with its car lift system. After being abandoned for many years, the building was fully renovated and transformed in recent years to become one of the city’s reference points for luxury shopping.
This centre of heritage and modernity, so dear to the locals, resonates with Audemars Piguet, which has always fostered dialogue with the wider cultural world to broaden its horizons, nourish its creativity and bring people together.
“The new AP House Milano brings a fresh and forward-thinking perspective to the initial AP House concept that started in Milan in 2017. It is an honour to open our new location in such a prestigious and iconic setting as the Garage Traversi, a location which reflects Audemars Piguet’s commitment to preserving and highlighting the local savoir-faire, past and present.”
Andrea Cardillo
Audemars Piguet Italy Country General Manager
An interior design merging tradition with state-of-the-art experience
With a surface area of over 1,600 m2 spread across the building’s 5th and 9th floors, the AP House will offer watch enthusiasts an unprecedented experience of the brand in an original concept that reflects the vibrant energy of Milan.
The AP House Milano was designed in collaboration with Lissoni & Partners, an architecture and interior design studio based in Milan and New York that combines a strong sense of rigor and simplicity with a keen attention to details, coherence, elegance and harmony. For this project, the studio drew inspiration from the natural environment of the Vallée de Joux, home to Audemars Piguet, incorporating various materials such as wood, glass and metal into the design, while giving the space a Milanese twist. Each of the five floors brings together the brand’s aesthetic codes with Milan’s design heritage.
On the ground floor, a modernist pattern recalling the brand’s iconic Petite Tapisserie guilloché motif, which debuted with the launch of the Royal Oak in 1972, immerses guests in the Manufacture’s world, while evoking the human connections and intricate savoir-faire at the heart of the brand. Playing on textures, contrasts and light, the entrance hall combines a lateral glass panel offering a myriad of optical illusions with a solid ebony wall reminiscent of the historic Milanese villas of the 1900s, setting the stage for this unique AP House concept at the junction of two worlds.
In addition to the traditional AP House lounge space, where visitors and guests can relax in a homely atmosphere, the new location includes a watch exhibition floor where contemporary and heritage timepieces live side by side in a futuristic display setting (visible or hidden on demand). The exhibition space is complemented by a selection of vintage furniture and design pieces made by famous Milanese designers such as Osvaldo Borsani, Franco Albini, Ettore Sottsass, Vico Magistretti and Achille Castiglioni. The AP House also includes an entire floor dedicated to servicing where visitors can admire the watchmakers at work and learn more about the Manufacture’s craftsmanship.
The various floors are linked by a spiral staircase – a nod to the mainspring of a watch. As the heart of the building, this staircase represents the space’s inextricable links between tradition and modernity, between Milan and Le Brassus.
Lastly, the AP House has a scenic rooftop with a breathtaking 360° view of Milan’s skyline and historical landmarks, including the Sforzesco Castle, the green dome of the church San Carlo al Corso and the “Madonnina,” the highest spire of the Duomo.
“Audemars Piguet gave me the alphabet of the project, outlining its various facets to imagine a hybrid space that could be at once a home and a club, a place to read books and enjoy culture and food. A place to discover watches, but not always and not only. Above all, a place inspired by Milan and its history. It is with this narrative in mind that I began to design this project.”
Piero Lissoni
Architect, Designer and Founder of Lissoni & Partners
A place of encounter
Believing in the power of creativity to feed culture and connect people, Audemars Piguet fosters dialogue between creative fields. The brand’s long-standing affinity with the world of music, contemporary art, gastronomy and technology permeates the environment of the AP House Milano.
Contemporary artworks on display are graciously lent by Francesca Minini Gallery, a mainstay of the Milanese art scene since 2006 and a friend of the brand’s art commissioning programme, Audemars Piguet Contemporary. All selected artworks in the space underscore the AP House Milano and Audemars Piguet’s commitment to working with creative communities. In addition, the location features a curated vinyl station and a piano, whose music can be enjoyed throughout the various floors.
To offer guests a personalised and unique experience, the AP House Milano also puts cutting-edge technology at the service of hospitality. Visitors are invited to plunge into the virtual reality world developed by Audemars Piguet in partnership with Dreamscape Immersive, the world’s leading platform in this field. Entitled The Clockwork Forest, this immersive adventure takes participants into a magical forest, where technological complexity combines with the power of nature. With its blend of tradition and technology, the AP House Milano is the perfect setting for this immersive experience that continues to push the boundaries of customer experience.
Conceived as a space of encounter, the AP House Milano will ultimately provide a local platform to foster deeper relationships with clients and watch enthusiasts through experiences that highlight the Manufacture’s creations, its expertise and its place in today’s world.
About Lissoni & Partners
With offices in Milan and New York, Lissoni & Partners has a thirty-year history in developing international projects in the fields of architecture, landscape, interior, product and graphic design, in addition to being responsible for the art direction for some of the most influential design companies. Led by Piero Lissoni, the practice combines a range of expertise with a tailored approach that sets it apart, establishing a stylistic code and a visual identity that are clearly and instantly recognizable. The practice’s work is inspired by a sense of rigor and simplicity and is characterized by a regard to detail, coherence and elegance with particular attention to proportion and harmony. Piero Lissoni is creative director for Alpi, B&B Italia, Boffi, Living Divani, Lema, Lualdi, Porro and Sanlorenzo for whom he also designs an extensive range of products. Recognised as one of the masters of contemporary design, he has worked with many international brands including Alessi, Antrax, Atlas Concorde, Bonacina1889, Cappellini, Cassina, Cotto, De Padova, Fantini, Flos, Glas Italia, Golran, Illy, Janus et Cie, Kartell, Kerakoll, KN Industrie, Knoll, Nerosicilia, Olivari, Salvatori, Tecno, Viccarbe. — www.lissoniandpartners.com
About Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families (Audemars and Piguet). Based in Le Brassus since 1875, the company has nurtured generations of talented craftspeople who have continuously developed new skills and techniques, broadening their savoir-faire to set rule-breaking trends. In the Vallée de Joux, at the heart of the Swiss Jura, Audemars Piguet has created numerous masterpieces, testament to the Manufacture’s ancestral savoir-faire and forward-thinking spirit. By pushing the boundaries of what is possible and building bridges between different creative worlds, Audemars Piguet has been able to explore new horizons and build an inspired community. Seek Beyond. — www.audemarspiguet.com