Audemars Piguet Cranks Up the Volume at Montreux with Its Biggest Parallel Yet
If you thought the Montreux Jazz Festival couldn’t get any more legendary, think again. Audemars Piguet is back, and this time, they’re making noise — both in horology and in music.
As the Swiss watchmaker toasts its 150th anniversary, it’s not just looking back — it’s doubling down on its boldest initiative yet: Audemars Piguet Parallel. Set to take over a secret location on July 16 during the 59th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, this offbeat experience is shaping up to be the kind of night you’ll brag about attending for years.
Beyond the Main Stage
Forget VIP lounges and velvet ropes — Parallel doesn’t do obvious. Since its debut in 2022, the Audemars Piguet Parallel series has built a cult following for its hush-hush locations, immersive atmosphere, and next-level lineups. The concept? Strip music of pretension and put it somewhere unexpected, atmospheric, and dripping in raw energy.
The 2024 edition? The biggest yet. With nearly 1000 fans expected to show up, this year's event features three genre-blurring icons: Peggy Gou, whose global stardom needs no introduction; deep house wunderkind Alex Wann; and French electro powerhouse Chloé Caillet. Together, they promise a night of hypnotic beats, electric connection, and zero dead air.
Still hush on the venue? You bet. True to form, the location won’t be revealed until the last moment — because sometimes mystery is the vibe.
Access Granted (Maybe)
No, you can’t buy your way in. Entry to this exclusive gig is free, but there’s a catch — you’ve got to win it. Either join the social media contest via the Montreux Jazz Festival’s channels or swing by the Audemars Piguet Parallel pop-up during the fest. The booth doubles as an interactive space where you can mix your own track, immerse yourself in the brand’s creative ecosystem, and — if luck’s on your side — walk away with a ticket to the night of the summer.
More Than Just a Watchmaker
Audemars Piguet isn’t new to music. In fact, their APxMusic programme is built around a simple but powerful ethos: support raw talent, celebrate craftsmanship, and bring people together through unforgettable experiences.
The brand’s link to Montreux runs deep — starting with its involvement in the Montreux Jazz Digital Project, leading to a formal partnership in 2019, and eventually the birth of APxMusic. Over the years, they’ve teamed up with icons like Jay-Z, Quincy Jones and Mark Ronson — each chosen not just for fame, but for their obsessive pursuit of technical mastery.
Remember 180? That mini-series spotlighting artists in the throes of creating original music dropped in 2020. One of its standout moments came when Montreal-based duo THe LYONZ performed an intimate mountain-top set, prefiguring what Parallel would become: an untamed, intimate celebration of sound.
Then came Ronson, not just as a collaborator but a true friend of the brand. Their series Syncing Sounds — co-created with R&B star Lucky Daye — offered a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Too Much.” The following year, Ronson returned to Montreux, curating the festival’s grand finale with his handpicked “musical family.” It was fireworks — figuratively, of course.
The Legacy Continues
The momentum hasn’t let up. In 2024, Audemars Piguet teamed up with Berlin’s genre-defying electro collective Keinemusik for a spellbinding mountaintop performance — a moment that encapsulated everything Parallel stands for: creative freedom, craftsmanship, and the art of blowing minds.
This July, the Manufacture returns with its most ambitious edition yet. Same philosophy, new scale. As the brand says — and proves — “We’re not just keeping time. We’re making it unforgettable.”
