Audemars Piguet (“AP”) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Gerald Genta designed Royal Oak. The Royal Oak was launched in 1972 and it was the first of the iconic luxury sports watches people know of today. For proper context, the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the Vacheron Constantin were released in 1976 and 1977 respectively. During the release of its first iteration back in 1972, the Royal Oak courted a bit of a controversy as it was deemed to be very different from the traditional watch designs. Further, the Royal Oak was considerably oversized during that period. This led to the watch being nicknamed “Jumbo”.

For the first 20 years of the Jumbo, there was only one self-winding extra-thin model. With the release of the new Jumbo, it will be available in 4 materials: stainless steel, yellow gold, pink gold, and platinum.

Movement

The new Self-winding Calibre 7121 measures 3.2mm in thickness and took 5 years for AP to complete. The movement was designed to fit in the extra-thin 8.1mm “Jumbo” case. Power reserve has been improved to 55 hours from 40 hours.

Design

Aesthetically, the design remains true to the Genta DNA. There have been no major alterations in the new Jumbo. It appears that the philosophy is directed in perfecting a classic model. Watch enthusiasts and collectors will be happy because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the original design of the watch.

Stainless Steel

The stainless steel model is a tribute to the original Royal Oak from 1972. The dial retains the iconic Petite Tapisserie pattern and the Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 color. The model also retains the hour-markers and hands of the original. However, one major difference is that the new model has a sapphire caseback to display the movement with the anniversary oscillating weight.

Other Models

Aside from the classic stainless steel, the new Jumbo is also available in yellow gold, pink gold, and platinum. The gold models largely retain their previous designs. As for the platinum, it will be paired with a smoked green dial with a base which is decorated with a sunburst pattern. This design was selected as the best “iconic” timepiece during Geneva’s 2021 Grand Prix d’Horologerie.

Watch Specifications

Diameter: 39mm

Material: Stainless Steel, 18K Yellow Gold, 18K Pink Gold, or Platinum

Functions: Hours, minutes, and date.

Case: Glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback, water-resistant to 50m.

Dial: Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 with Petite Tapisserie (Steel), Smoked grey dial with Petite Tapisserie (18K Pink Gold), Smoked yellow gold toned dial with Petite Tapisserie (18K Yellow Gold), Smoked green with sunburst base (Platinum)

Movement:

Self-winding Calibre 7121

Diameter- 29.6mm

Thickness- 3.2mm

Jewels- 33

Parts- 268

Min. Power Reserve- 55 hours.

Frequency of Balance Wheel- 4Hz (28,800 vibrations/hr)

For more information, you may visit http://www.audemarspiguet.com