Audemars Piguet hosts most ambitious exhibition in Shanghai

Audemars Piguet endeavours to impress visitors to the Yuz Museum in Shanghai with its most ambitious exhibition ever held abroad. The exhibition features more than 200 watches complemented by specially commissioned contemporary artworks.

The exhibition, titled “To Break The Rules You Must First Master Them”, is housed within a circular copper shell divided into 12 rooms – a nod to the 12 hour markers found on a watch’s dial.

Each room has its own unique theme, from origins – which also features a large family tree taking up one side of the wall – to a dial-making workshop. A room also pays homage to the history and evolution of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet’s most iconic design to date.  

A highlight of the exhibition is the giant replica of an actual rock found at Vallee de Joux – the maison’s birthplace – and made using a casting technique employed by archaeologists. Also on display are rare vintage watches that have made milestones in the maison’s history, including a grand complication pocket watch made by Jules Louis Audemars, one of the founders, as a graduation project to mark the end of his apprenticeship in 1875.

Adhering to the maison’s commitment to art, the exhibition also features works by contemporary artists: a video installation titled “Circadian Rhythm” by Chinese artist Cheng Ran, a series of beautiful still photography by Dan Holdsworth, and a sonic installation titled “Wild Constellations” that doubles as speakers.

The exhibition will run until November 13 at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai, after which it will travel to Dubai next year.

Q&A with Cheng Ran