AP’s new ‘Jumbo’ watches are thinner than my patience

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has been a luxury watch staple for 50 years now, and AP is understandably keen to honour that heritage with two new lines of “Jumbo” watches that pay homage to the original of 1972.

While this new collection is “Jumbo” by name, it’s certainly not jumbo by nature.

Debuting AP’s new Calibre 7121 automatic movement which measures in at just 3.2mm thick, it’s allowed AP to keep the super-thin 8.1mm case thickness of the historical model – particularly impressive for a self-winding mechanical watch.

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The new movement replaces the Calibre 2121 designed by Jaeger-LeCoultre that AP has employed for the past 50 years

And it’s a big improvement, featuring a 55-hour power reserve, more modern beat rate, and a full pink-gold bridge that prevents against shock and ensures accuracy.

It also features a “50 Years” motif on the balance wheel.

The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin is the most oxymoronic name of the new models, and in stainless steel guise is the most true interpretation of the original Royal Oak, although yellow-gold, pink-gold, and platinum models are also available.

Sporting an identical 39mm case diameter and 50 metre water resistance to the original, each of the four Extra-Thin models features a unique dial, with all featuring an applied AP monogram at the 6 o’clock position, and a colour-coded date window at 3 o’clock.

All but the platinum model feature dials with the “Petite Tapisserie” pattern; the platinum model instead features a smoked green face with a sunburst finish.

Meanwhile, the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Openworked presents a more modern take on the model, using the same 39mm diameter, 8.1mm thick case in either pink-gold or stainless steel, but with a skeleton dial that leaves the movement (the Calibre 7124 developed alongside the 7121) fully exposed.

Only a flange around the edge of the dial with pink-gold indices is used, with the indices and hands painted in luminous material to ensure legibility.

The platinum “Jumbo” Extra-Thin is only available from Audemars Piguet’s from the company’s own boutiques at a price of €109,500 (US$119,453).

But other models are available from all authorised retailers. The steel Extra-Thin starts at €31,800 (US$34.5k), with the two gold tones priced at €67,700 (US$73.8k).

The steel and pink-gold Openworked are €86,800 (US$94,689) and €113,300 (US$123,598)

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