On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the watchmaker has launched a new generation of Royal Oak “Jumbo” ultra-thin and two new skeleton models. Visually, these watches are almost indistinguishable from the historic model Royal Oak. Instead, the biggest innovation is on the inside, where the company has now installed an all-new 7121 movement, meaning the new movement is now powering the “Jumbo” for the first time in 50 years. With this move, Audemars Piguet hopes to adapt the watch to modern lifestyles, thus opening a new chapter in the brand’s iconicity.
Initially, four variants of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ ultra-thin were released
The new Royal Oak “Jumbo” ultra-thin case is available in stainless steel, rose gold, yellow gold or platinum. Manufacturers take care to retain original dimensions. So the diameter is still 39mm and the height is 8.1mm. Of course, the iconic case design and the visible hex screws that hold the watch together are also preserved. In addition, the waterproof depth is kept at 50 meters. So in general, Audemars Piguet has retained its successful design codes, focusing instead on dials and mechanisms.
dial
All four new models feature exclusive dials. The dial of the stainless steel version has an internal “Night Blue, Cloud 50” tone. The dial is decorated with a “Petite Tapisserie” guilloche pattern, and the hour-markers and hands are in the shape of Baignoire. The latter allows the luminescent material to be poured into the tub, ensuring readability. Typical of the “Jumbo” is the applied AP monogram in polished gold at 6 o’clock, also found here. The date is displayed on a colour-coordinated disc at 3 o’clock.
The dials of both rose gold and yellow gold versions are available in “Petite Tapisserie” and smoky colors. The first ‘Jumbo’ comes in smoke grey tones with appliqués and rose gold Royal Oak hands. On the other hand, the gold case has a gold dial with matching hour markers and hands. The smoky edge here comes from spraying colored paint on the rotating dial. Here, too, the date disc matches the dial.
The special platinum model has a smoked green finish on the base with a sunburst finish. This combination has also been presented on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak model with a green dial in 2021. The new platinum “Jumbo” features applied hour-markers, AP monogram at 6 o’clock and white gold Royal Oak hands.
The new movement powering the Royal Oak “Jumbo”
The biggest innovation, however, is the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” ultra-thin watch. With the advent of the new generation, watchmakers put the new 7121 calibre into service. The development of this movement took five years, as it had to be housed in a case without changing its dimensions. One of the improvements is the larger mainspring barrel, which now offers 55 hours of power autonomy. It also provides better rate stability over time. Practical improvements also include the integration of a patent date mechanism, which also features a quick-setup feature.
The rotor is now mounted on ball bearings and has two ratchets that can be wound from both sides. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak, the “50 Years” logo is engraved on the open rotor. Also, the material matches the case, which is usually only seen on complications. However, the “50 year” rotor is only present in the 2022 example. In addition, the movement has other decorations. So decorated with “Geneva stripes” and “specialty tires” (line cuts), Perlage can also be found.
New Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim Cutout
In addition, Audemars Piguet also launched two new Royal Oak “Jumbo” ultra-thin skeleton watches, showing its mechanical structure through skeletonization. The new generation watch features the same 39mm “Jumbo” case, made of stainless steel or rose gold.
The dial here consists solely of a flange with golden indexes. However, to ensure readability, these straps feature luminous material, as do the hands. In this variant, the watchmaker has no date function. But of course, the open movement dominated the front. Here it is named Calibre 7124 and comes in rhodium tones or slate grey for the rose gold variant. Developed at the same time as the aforementioned new calibre 7121, this movement now appears for the first time in two new Openworked models. In fact, watchmakers focus on the harmonious geometry of the individual parts to create balanced open variants.
The slim movement offers the same improvements as its sister movement. However, since there is no date, the power autonomy here is 57 hours. As long as it starts in 2022, the two Royal Oak “Jumbo” ultra-thin skeleton movements will also be equipped with a “50 Years” oscillating weight. The rotor here is rhodium 22 karat rose gold.
feature
brand
Audemars Piguet
Model
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim Cutout
refer to
16202ST.OO.1240ST.01
(stainless steel, blue dial)
16202OR.OO.1240OR.01
(Rose Gold, Anthracite Dial)
16202BA.OO.1240BA.01
(gold, smoked gold dial)
16202PT.OO.1240PT.01
(Platinum, green dial)
16204ST.OO.1240ST.01
(stainless steel, hollow)
16204OR.OO.1240OR.01
(rose gold, openwork)
case material
16202ST.OO.1240ST.01
steel
16202OR.OO.1240OR.01
rose gold
16202BA.OO.1240BA.01
gold
16202PT.OO.1240PT.01
Platinum
16204ST.OO.1240ST.01
Stainless steel
16204OR.OO.1240OR.01
rose gold
aspect
Diameter: 39mm
Height: 8.1mm
Waterproof
5 bar (~50 m)
dial
16202ST.OO.1240ST.01
“Night Blue, Cloud 50” with “Petite Tapisserie”
16202OR.OO.1240OR.01
Anthracite dial with “Petite
Tapisserie” 16202BA.OO.1240BA.01 Anthracite Dial with “Petite Tapisserie”
“Tapisserie”
16202PT.OO.1240PT.01
Smoked green dial, sunburst
Textured finish 16204PT.OO.1240PT.01 hollow
16204OR.OO.1240OR.01
hollow out
Strap/Bracelet
Made of housing material. With folding clasp.
move
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim
Caliber 7121
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim Cutout
Caliber 7124
Movement type
automatic
power reserve
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim
55 hours
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim Cutout
57 hours
frequency
28,800 times/hour (4 Hz)
function
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim
hour, minute, date
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Slim Cutout
hours, minutes