Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta brings an ‘outside-in’ perspective to watchmaking

ILARIA Resta did not come up through watchmaking, which may be precisely why she sounds so intent on changing its tone.

The Swiss-Italian spent most of her career in consumer goods and beauty, including senior roles at Procter & Gamble and DSM-Firmenich.

In 2023, she took over Audemars Piguet (AP), one of Swiss watchmaking’s most closely watched family owned houses, as its chief executive officer.

In an e-mail interview, Resta makes clear her three-decade-plus experience outside the watch industry is what gives her “a broad, adaptive mindset”.

“Watchmaking is a world of precision, excellence and heritage – but it can also be inward-looking,” she says. “My role is to bring an outside-in view: to encourage openness, and to ensure that we remain relevant in a fast-evolving cultural landscape.”

That “outside-in view” is how Resta wants to shape the next chapter of AP. Luxury watch brands often speak of heritage as though it is something to be guarded. Resta speaks of it more like a living asset that must be protected, yes, but also to be shared.

“Our aim is to build communities around the brand – through immersive spaces, cultural collaborations and personalised services,” she adds.

“This is why I attach such importance to opening the doors of watchmaking, be it through our global exhibitions, our AP Lab and boutiques, or our presence at Watches and Wonders.”

Watches and Wonders, taking place from Apr 18 in Geneva, marks AP’s first foray back into a major luxury watch fair in Switzerland, after exiting the now-defunct Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in 2020.

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Its Watches and Wonders debut is one of the fair’s most anticipated highlights this year. 

Earlier in February, a range of novelties including the 150 Heritage, an ultra-complicated pocket watch, and the Neo Frame Jumping Hour were unveiled at AP Social Club, the brand’s annual intimate get-together for media and clients.

But Resta is careful not to frame the brand’s future around spectacle alone. “Our participation reaffirms our focus on engaging both the watchmaking community and the wider public by making the universe of haute horlogerie more accessible,” she says.

To this end, AP plans to extend its presence beyond just the exhibition hall and take its vision into the heart of Geneva through public activations, including an AP Lab at the historic Pont de la Machine to celebrate Switzerland’s horological heritage.

Since taking the helm, Resta shares that she has organised her priorities around three pillars: putting clients at the heart of the business, championing craftsmanship at the highest level, and embedding sustainability across the organisation. 

“Leadership is not defined by control, but by the creation of enduring value a brand will continue to inspire for the next 150 years,” she says. Resta added that being family owned and not having to answer to quarterly earnings calls and shareholder sentiment has helped the brand thrive over the last one-and-a-half century.

“Our independence allows us to innovate with freedom, but also with discipline,” she says, while stressing that boldness during its research and development phases is a deliberate choice, not a risk.

“We pursue bold ideas when they are rooted in who we are – our heritage, our craftsmanship, and the close dialogue we maintain with our clients,” Resta explains.

Still growing

For all the anxiety around whether the luxury watch boom borrowed too much demand from the future, she sounds unruffled. “Several indicators give us confidence that demand for fine watchmaking remains structurally healthy. Client behaviour continues to normalise rather than contract: new clients enter the category each year, and existing collectors remain highly engaged.”

She also points to a broadening audience: “Interest among younger generations is rising, and women are always more drawn to technically complicated pieces – such as perpetual calendars and tourbillons – paired with designs that reflect their tastes.”

Meanwhile, Asia remains key to AP’s growth story, and Singapore “plays a pivotal role within this strategy as a regional hub, a gateway to South-east Asia, and a key experiential platform”.

Back in Switzerland, the opening of the Arc in Le Brassus, as well as a new production site in Meyrin this year proves AP is serious about growth and investing in its future.

“At AP, innovation isn’t about turning the page on our past – it’s about writing the next chapter with the same spirit that shaped the last,” Resta says, “By staying anchored in our heritage while embracing modernity, we keep the brand relevant and forward‑looking.”