I’ve been collecting Audemars Piguet watches and studying the brand’s history for about a decade now. It was an unexpected rabbit hole, one I willingly fell into and never looked back. Like most collectors, it was the Royal Oak that first drew me in. I remember vividly the moment I first saw it on the wrist of a friend. I was mesmerised by the elegance of the bracelet. How it seamlessly flowed from the case, engaging with light like nothing else I’d seen. A shimmering masterpiece basking in the warm evening sun and I simply couldn’t look away. I knew then that I had to have one.

"A full century of watchmaking excellence came before the Royal Oak, and that legacy is just as compelling."

For many, the Royal Oak is the gateway into the AP universe. Its design sparked an entirely new genre in contemporary watchmaking and arguably remains the most iconic and influential wristwatch design of the 20th century. And yet, for all its impact, the Royal Oak itself has changed very little since its 1972 debut. Remarkably consistent for a model that revolutionised an entire industry. Still, fifty years is merely a third of Audemars Piguet’s heritage. A full century of watchmaking excellence came before it, and that legacy is just as compelling.

John Shaeffer Jumping Hours Minute Repeater ref. 25798 in pink gold (left) and John Shaeffer Skeleton Minute Repeater ref. 25761 in platinum (right).

It’s Complicated

Through years of handling, collecting, and studying the various styles and eras of AP, I found myself increasingly drawn to a small, fascinating capsule of watches from the 1990s.

To set the stage, it’s worth noting that AP has always been a specialist in complicated watchmaking. Based in the secluded village of Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux—Switzerland’s cradle of high horology—Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875 with a focus on intricate mechanisms: perpetual calendars, chronographs, minute repeaters. These complications, crafted without the benefit of CAD software or CNC machines, were rare, laborious, and exceptional. They were also costly, amongst some of the most expensive objects that money could buy.

John Shaeffer Star Wheel Minute Repeater ref. 25881 in pink gold.

Quartz Crisis and Renaissance

But in the lead-up to the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s, demand for traditional mechanical watches collapsed. The industry, cloaked in dust and denial, appeared to be on the brink of extinction.

Ironically, the Quartz Crisis may have been the best thing that ever happened to artisanal watchmaking. With accurate, affordable quartz watches now ubiquitous, mechanical timepieces no longer needed to serve a utilitarian purpose. They could now exist as objects of art, passion, and excess. This shift birthed a revival. The pursuit of mechanical excellence became limitless once again. The 1980s and ’90s saw a renaissance: a reimagining of time displays, a renewed focus on decoration, and an elevation of watchmaking into the realm of pure craft.

Enter John Shaeffer

It was during this renaissance that Audemars Piguet launched a curious and exquisite series of watches: the John Shaeffer collection. While other collections such as the Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet lines honoured the brand’s founders, this capsule bore a far more obscure name.

"So who was John Shaeffer?"

His story is as enigmatic as the watches that bear his name. His name is frequently misspelled as “John Schaeffer”, a mistake you’ll never make again after reading this.

John Wallace Shaeffer was not a watchmaker, nor a celebrity, but he possessed extraordinary taste. In 1925, as a vice-president of a large American industrial conglomerate spanning the chemical, automotive, and oil & gas sectors, he purchased an unusual and expensive timepiece: a miniature minute repeater wristwatch in a green gold and platinum cushion-shaped case. At the time, minute repeaters were predominantly found in pocket watches. Miniaturising one for the wrist was a technical tour de force, requiring remarkable talent, patience, and investment.

Two years later, Shaeffer sent his watch back to AP for customisation, requesting a new dial with his name replacing the hour markers. A bold and personal request. Equally bold was the brand’s decision to accept. The result? A quietly flamboyant watch with twelve letters “JOHN SHAEFFER” taking the place of conventional hour markers. 12 letters, no “C”.

The original John Shaeffer. First delivered in 1925, subsequently customised in 1927. Now on display at the Audemars Piguet Museum.

A Legacy Reimagined

Decades later, in the early 1990s, Audemars Piguet’s Heritage Department acquired Shaeffer’s original watch for its private collection. So compelling was the piece both in craftsmanship and narrative that it inspired a new capsule collection in tribute. The John Shaeffer watches, launched between 1994 and 1999, shared a distinctive 34mm cushion case reminiscent of the 1925 original, and featured an ambitious array of complications and time displays.

Another 1920s example in a cushion case, and Jumping Hours but without the Minute Repeater. Part of the Pygmalion Gallery collection.

Part of the collection were simple time-only and calendar watches but at the heart of it was the miniature minute repeater. Reviving such a complication, especially post-Quartz Crisis, was a bold statement. Tasked with this challenge was a young Giulio Papi. With limited access to historical schematics (and no technical drawings with dimensions), Papi famously removed his wedding band, drew a circle around it on paper, and used its 22mm diameter as the reference size for the repeater calibre. That decision would guide the creation of this new generation of miniature chiming timekeepers.

John Shaeffer Minute Repeaters—clockwise from top: Pink Gold Jumping Hours ref. 25839, Platinum Skeleton ref. 25761, Pink Gold Star Wheel ref. 25881, Pink Gold Jumping Hours ref. 25798.

As detailed in AP’s own book 20th Century Complicated Wristwatches, only 208 John Shaeffer minute repeaters were produced. Here’s a breakdown of the references:

These were not mainstream pieces. They were highly specialised, limited-production masterpieces for connoisseurs. Most were made in precious metals, with a few ultra-rare examples in titanium and a singular unicorn in stainless steel. The unusual case shape and creative time displays made for watches that defied conventional expectations of AP design. Wearing one always elicits the same reaction:

“That’s an AP???”

At 34mm, the case may seem modest by today’s standards, but I find its size part of the appeal. It’s compact, comfortable, and refreshingly discreet.

In fact, being compact was part of the technical achievement. The horology takes centre stage, there’s no oversized casing to distract from its function or beauty. The John Shaeffer Minute Repeaters all came with an open caseback for its owner to admire the refined beauty of the manual winding calibre ticking within.

The various different executions and finishes found on the base calibre 2866.

Why It Matters

To me, the John Shaeffer collection embodies the very essence of Audemars Piguet. It channels different eras of the brand’s history: its tradition of complications, its daring spirit, and its willingness to honour eccentricity. The story of the original Shaeffer watch is captivating in its intimacy, and the 1990s reinterpretation pays tribute with grace and technical virtuosity.

With its rare combination of design, heritage, technical complexity, novelty, rarity, and wearability, the John Shaeffer series remains one of the most compelling and under appreciated chapters in the AP story. A quiet triumph of high watchmaking.

-FIN-