Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet welcomed close to a thousand music lovers to the third edition of Audemars Piguet Parallel for an evening charged with emotion and positive energy. Now a staple of the Montreux Jazz Festival – with which the brand has been affiliated as Global Partner since 2019 – the event serves as an interlude from the festival’s main programme, offering contest winners an exclusive performance in a special location, revealed only at the last moment. This year, the event took place at the disused thermal power plant in Vouvry, where Alex Wann, Chloé Caillet and Peggy Gou delivered electrifying electronic sets. This timeless and unconventional experience echoes the spirit of the watch manufacturer, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
An Evening Vibing At 100,000 Volts
Introduced in 2022, the Audemars Piguet Parallel experience offers a moment suspended in time to winners of a contest held by the Montreux Jazz Festival, while providing select artists the opportunity to perform in unexpected locations around the Lake Geneva region. Previous editions have featured magnetic performances by The Blaze, Arlo Parks, Mochakk and Black Coffee, captivating audiences of up to 800 music enthusiasts.
This year, as part of Audemars Piguet’s 150th anniversary celebrations, the brand, in collaboration with the Montreux Jazz Festival, invited nearly 1,000 guests for an electrifying night of music in the distinctive setting of Vouvry’s disused thermal power plant overlooking Lake Geneva. Three internationally acclaimed DJs took turns behind the decks, keeping the energy high and the crowd on edge. Parisian deep house prodigy Alex Wann kicked off the evening, cementing his rising-star status by igniting the dancefloor. He was followed by French DJ Chloé Caillet, whose eclectic electro sound kept the party going. The evening culminated with South Korean house music superstar, Peggy Gou, who, after lighting up the world’s most prestigious stages, set the stage ablaze for this third edition of Audemars Piguet Parallel.
In keeping with the spirit of the experience, the event’s location was revealed only at the last minute to ensure the audience’s surprise. For the occasion, this former industrial site, built in 1964 and inactive since 1999, was transformed into a vibrant and immersive venue inspired by the world of watchmaking.
“With Audemars Piguet Parallel, we continue to share our openness, passion and spirit of curiosity, while offering unforgettable experiences to the public. This year marks our 150th anniversary, and we’re thrilled to celebrate this milestone with the Montreux Jazz Festival audience.”
Ilaria Resta,
Chief Executive Officer, Audemars Piguet
Creative Synergy and Extraordinary Experiences
Over the years, Audemars Piguet has multiplied the creative synergies between Haute Horlogerie and the world of music through various collaborations. One of its main partnerships began in 2006 when the Manufacture joined forces with EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and a panel of experts, including musicians, for an 8-year research programme on the acoustic tonality of 19th-century timepieces.
The watchmaker from Le Brassus has also nurtured long-standing friendships with different artists and musicians, including Jay-Z, Quincy Jones and Mark Ronson, who share the same values of technical mastery, precision and innovation.
Furthering its engagement in the world of music, Audemars Piguet has contributed to the Montreux Jazz Digital Project since 2010, in collaboration with the Claude Nobs Foundation and EPFL. This extensive project covers the digitalisation, preservation and enrichment of the festival’s audiovisual archives, acknowledged by UNESCO as part of its “Memory of the World” register. In 2019, Audemars Piguet took its involvement a step further by becoming a Global Partner of the Montreux Jazz Festival.
That same year, Audemars Piguet launched its APxMusic programme to support emerging talents. In 2020, the brand launched 180, a miniseries retracing the creative process of artists invited to collaborate on an original track. This project was followed by a remarkable performance by THe LYONZ in the unique mountainous setting overlooking Montreux, on the fringes of the festival’s 2021 edition. This initiative paved the way for the new Audemars Piguet Parallel concerts in 2022. Additionally, Audemars Piguet announced Mark Ronson as its new friend of the brand and produced a series of short videos entitled Syncing Sounds, documenting the creative collaboration between Ronson and the British-American producer and R&B artist Lucky Daye as they composed the track “Too Much.” In 2023, the Manufacture entrusted Mark Ronson with organising the Montreux Jazz Festival’s closing party, where he brought his musical family on stage. In 2025, Audemars Piguet invited Mark Ronson and British singer-songwriter RAYE to collaborate on “Suzanne”, an original track deeply rooted in both artists’ personal stories and the brand’s heritage. Their creative process is documented in a new video titled Syncing Sounds 150.
“For the past six years, the invaluable collaboration between Audemars Piguet and the Montreux Jazz Festival has created unforgettable moments of music and emotion. The Audemars Piguet Parallel experience perfectly embodies this partnership, reflecting the passion and values that unite us. This unique creative initiative has now become a highlight of the festival’s programme.”
Mathieu Jaton,
Chief Executive Officer, Montreux Jazz Festival