If Swiss watchmaking has traditionally prized discretion and restraint, Audemars Piguet has often seemed happy to loosen the tie a little. Still impeccably pedigreed, but more inclined to march to the beat of its own drum, wear something conversation-starting to the party and mingle with artists, athletes and celebrities.
Still impeccably bred, obviously. But perhaps more inclined to march to the beat of his own drum, wear conversation-sparking fits to the party and hobnob with celebrities, athletes, A-listers and assorted heavy hitters all night.
Its watches have appeared on the wrists of everyone from BTS’s J-Hope and Seventeen’s Mingyu to Thai stars Win Metawin and Bright Vachirawit.
Audemars Piguet has never been shy about stepping outside haute horlogerie’s comfort zone. This is, after all, the watchmaker that helped make the stainless steel luxury sports watch – in the form of the Royal Oak – desirable at a time when precious metals dominated high-end watchmaking.
Naturally, when the brand decided to plant a new flag in Singapore in 2025, it didn’t simply open another boutique; it built itself a house. And rather than Orchard Road or Marina Bay Sands, it chose the historic Raffles Singapore.
The brand transformed the historic Bar & Billiard Room at Raffles Singapore into AP House, filling the space with art, private salons and greenery. A vast LED screen evokes the Swiss Jura, where Audemars Piguet has its roots, while the world’s first AP Cafe brings food into the mix through a collaboration with Burnt Ends.
Then it started inviting people over.
One year after its launch, AP House Singapore has become something of a physical manifestation of the watchmaker’s broader ambitions. More than a place to discover its watches, it is part clubhouse, part hospitality concept and part immersive brand theatre.
Stefanie Ng, CEO of Audemars Piguet Southeast Asia, described it this way: “AP House creates a shared sense of home – a place where people can connect with the brand, with Singapore, and with one another.”
Sure, there are watches. But there is also coffee, food, events and conversation. It feels a little like a members’ club, except this one is open to the public. You can pop in for a look, although it is best to make an appointment if you want to browse the collections and try on a watch.
WHY SINGAPORE GOT THE HOUSE
Singapore was not a random choice for the AP House concept.
The city is home to an engaged community of watch collectors, while its role as a regional hub for business, culture and hospitality gives it broader appeal. Ng also pointed to Singapore’s ability to embrace innovation while retaining a strong appreciation for heritage – qualities she believes reflect Audemars Piguet’s own philosophy.
More broadly, the opening reflects the growing importance of Southeast Asia to the brand. AP House Singapore serves as both a regional flagship and a statement of intent: The traditional luxury boutique, with its glass display cases and formal retail setting, is no longer the only way a watchmaker can meet its customers.
But of course the location needed some history of its own. Enter the Bar & Billiard Room, a storied part of Raffles Singapore with a history stretching back more than a century.
It could simply have set up shop, put its logo on the wall and called it a day. Instead, Audemars Piguet took a more considered approach. “Every design choice had to feel respectful of the Bar & Billiard Room’s character while still expressing the world of Audemars Piguet,” said Ng.
The result is a dialogue between past and present, with original architectural details preserved alongside contemporary references to Le Brassus, the village in the Swiss Jura where Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875.
As an homage to the original space, a billiard table now sits at the centre of the room, with a tiger motif woven into the rug beneath it. The tiger is a nod to one of Raffles’ most famous stories: In 1902, a tiger that had escaped from a nearby travelling circus took refuge beneath the then-elevated Bar & Billiard Room, where it was eventually shot.
WHEN A SWISS WATCHMAKER GOES TROPICAL
Step inside AP House Singapore and you will not find the brightly lit, formal atmosphere often associated with luxury watch retail.
Instead, the interiors feel warm and residential, with wood, marble and locally sourced timber. Seven-metre-high arched windows flood the space with natural light. Muted greens and gold accents nod, in part, to Singapore’s identity as a City in Nature, while a large LED screen overhead depicts the changing seasons around Lac de Joux in Switzerland.
The intention, Ng said, was to “create a poetic way of linking our origins in Switzerland with the experience of AP House Singapore”. Just as importantly, the design had to make people want to linger.
Enter the private lounges, with plush sofas and armchairs made for reading, lounging and conversation. There is a billiard table for a game with a friend – or perhaps a stranger who soon becomes one – as well as a communal dining table, a staffed bar and, of course, the cafe.
It hardly resembles a boutique. It feels more like the home of that entrepreneurial brother from the beginning – the one with excellent taste and an inordinate number of interesting people dropping by.
Ng said AP House was conceived as “a place where collectors, connoisseurs, and AP enthusiasts can discover the brand, experience Singapore, and feel part of a community that is both deeply local and truly connected to the world.”
Whatever you make of the aesthetics, the broader idea is clear: The brand is creating a space where its relationship with visitors does not have to begin and end with a sales transaction.
BUT FIRST, COFFEE
If AP House was designed to encourage visitors to stay awhile, the world’s first AP Cafe gives them a particularly good reason to.
This is, after all, the appeal of F&B in retail. You may admire a handbag, covet a watch or stare lovingly at a diamond necklace. But eventually, you leave the store.
Offer someone a coffee, lunch or a pastry, however, and suddenly they are sitting down, lingering, talking and comparing notes – spending considerably longer inside that carefully constructed brand universe than it takes to try on a watch.
Luxury brands have increasingly expanded beyond traditional retail into restaurants, cafes and other hospitality concepts. The idea is simple: Give visitors another reason to spend time in a brand’s world, even when they are not there specifically to shop.
What distinguishes Audemars Piguet’s approach is that it comes from a watchmaker. Open to the public, AP Cafe offers a relatively informal way into the world of the brand.
That accessibility is notable in a category where exclusivity remains part of the appeal. “The idea of AP Cafe was inspired by the belief that hospitality can create a deeper and more emotional connection with the brand. Singapore is a true food city, and gastronomy is such a natural part of how people gather, share, and experience culture here. As someone who personally enjoys food, I also felt it was meaningful to express Audemars Piguet through this very Singaporean lens,” said Ng.
In other words, Audemars Piguet would still very much like you to admire its watches. But if you would rather start with a coffee, that works too.
ONE YEAR LATER: ARE PEOPLE ACTUALLY USING THE HOUSE?
The real test of any experiential retail concept is what happens after the launch party. Do people come back?
According to the brand, many do. AP House says visitors are returning not simply to purchase watches but to attend events, meet fellow collectors, catch up with friends or spend time in the space.
For Ng, the strongest validation has been seeing how guests use the House. “Guests use the space in a natural and personal way: meeting friends, joining conversations, sharing perspectives, or simply enjoying time in an environment that feels warm and familiar. That is when AP House truly becomes more than a space – it becomes a community.”
It may sound like the sort of thing luxury brands routinely say about experiential spaces. But it also gets to the heart of why concepts like AP House have gained traction.
Luxury brands have long relied on scarcity to create desire. Today, the challenge is more complicated. They still need to protect exclusivity while remaining culturally relevant, appeal to younger audiences without alienating established collectors, and give people a reason to visit physical spaces when so much of the discovery process now happens online.
Ng believes today’s luxury clients are more informed and often begin their journey online before seeking out a physical experience.
“AP House offers what digital platforms cannot: Atmosphere, human warmth, social interaction, and a sense of belonging,” she explained. “It allows clients to experience Audemars Piguet not only as a brand they follow online, but as a world they can step into, feel, and become part of.”
That thinking is likely to become increasingly relevant as Audemars Piguet expands its footprint across Southeast Asia, including in Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Further afield, Sydney is also planned for 2027.
Source: CNA/bt