Louis-Benjamin Audemars. One of the foremost "unsung" movement manufacturers, who, in the early days of his career, decided to forego the recognition that would have come from signing his work in return for the steady income he received from clients such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Tiffany, and others. He was undoubtedly a horological genius. Born in 1782 in the Vallée de Joux, at the age of 16 Louis-Benjamin Audemars was apprenticed to the already famous Philippe Meylan who specialized in making blank (row) movements. Audemars?s manual skills, keen perception and intelligence impressed his master (and future brother-in-law) to the point that he offered him a partnership. He was so good that he once won a bet to file a quarter-repeater mechanism between two meals. In 1811, when Meylan left for Geneva he made Audemars his successor, leaving him the workshop which produced movements for other companies. The new company Meylan formed with Piguet became the most important Audemars? client. At the time, the Vallée de Joux produced only full-plate caliber movements, while in France and occasionally in Geneva, a new bridge caliber was introduced. Audemars realized that the future was in the bridge caliber and changed his production accordingly, becoming almost instantaneously the most important manufacturer of movements in the Vallée. His clients included Le Roy, Breguet, Jürgensen, Charles Oudin, LeCoultre, Piguet Frères, Bautte, Piguet & Meylan, Patek, Frodsham, Dent, and Benson. In 1832 Louis decided to make complete watches which he sold under his own name. To change the company profile was not easy and it took some time to achieve it. Louis died a year later leaving the bulk of the task to his eight sons, who continued running and developing the Audemars firm. It was not until 1848 that their father?s ambition was fulfilled. Between 1832 and 1837 the company invented the keyless windi g/setting system, known today as the Audemars system. His catalogues list "Breguet" caliber watches, "Breguet style" repeaters with independent seconds, "demi Breguet" calibers and Breguet anti-shock devices (pare-chutes). The company became recognized as one of the best. At the London Exhibition of 1851 the company showed 10 watches with different escapements and complications, among which was a watch with "most intricate calculations of astronomical dial". The company became famous for ultra-complicated watches. Among the honors they received were: London 1851 First Class Medal New York 1853 Bronze Medal Paris 1855 First Class Medal London 1862 First Class Medal Academie Nationale de France 1856-1863 First Class Honor Medal Vienne 1873 Medal of Progress Philadelphia 1876 Paris 1878 1ère Medaille d?or, Croix de la Légion d?Honneur, Diplôme d?Honneur Sidney 1879 First Class Medal London 1880 Audemars was named Watchmaker to the Queen of England, a very rare honor for a foreigner. In 1885 the firm split into three companies established by the grandsons of Louis-Benjamin: Audemars Frères (founded by Hector Audemars and his brother Charles-Henri), François Audemars fils and Louis Audemars (by Louis Audemars-Valette). It should be noted that the Audemars Piguet Company established in 1881 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, has only a remote connection with Louis Audemars; Jules-Louis was a great-grandson of Louis? brother.