Royal Oak Jumbo, which is considered a cult not only for AP but also for luxury watchmaking in general, is under the spotlight with its new version introduced recently.
The Holy Trinity: A term that is familiar to those who know the glamorous world of mechanical watches. I think this term has expired a while ago. More precisely, two of these three remained where they were, and almost all models of a completely different brand filled the remaining space. You must have understood which brands and models I am talking about. Because this year, in 2022, dreams have come true in the 50th anniversary of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo, which can remain as a permanent member of the holy trinity both in the past and today. The new Jumbo has managed to bring together the best parts of the old version with the innovations of the new version.
In 1972, a game-changer was produced that gave AP a completely different face, ascribed the adjective "luxury metal" to stainless steel, and immortalized Gerald Genta: the Royal Oak. The octagonal bezel with screws, sharp surfaces, and an extraordinarily high price tag put the Royal Oak in a unique spot. A prototype made of white gold was used for rapid modeling of the watch, which is easier to work with than stainless steel due to its softness. The chamfered edges, tapered corners, the pattern and color used on the dial were tested on this prototype. The automatic Caliber 920 by Jaeger-LeCoultre was the movement to power the model. The nickname Jumbo came from the 39mm case diameter, which could be considered large for those years.
In the past 50 years, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo has undergone two major revisions. Small changes made to the case were followed by larger changes to the dial, but the original movement, Caliber 920, has always taken its place inside the watch with the product code Ref. AP 2121. Based on the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 920, the AP 2121 was an ultra-thin, fully automatic caliber operating at a frequency of 19800vph. This caliber, which has not been used in any timepiece other than the Ref. 222, which is considered the ancestor of Vacheron Constantin Overseas, and the first Patek Philippe Nautilus, has survived only with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo model. Until now...
Royal Oak Jumbo first opened its eyes in 1972 with reference 5402 and continued its life with references of 14802 in 1992, 15002 in 1996, and 15202 in 2000. The model with the code 15202 is updated in 2012, befitting its 40th year, and gets its final form.
When you bring the new and old Jumbo side by side, you need to have really careful eyes to understand the differences at once. Honestly, I find this very positive. As I said before, why would you change an already perfect watch and spoil its splendor? Let's look at the differences. Starting with the dial, we see that the date window moves half a square more to the right. When we take the tiny squares that make up the dial pattern of the Royal Oak Jumbo as a reference, this change had a very small effect. In addition to the sapphire crystal case back, the water-resistance value of up to 50 meters has been preserved.
The total thickness of the watch has decreased by 0.1mm to 8mm. Starting with the Ref. 15202, the Jumbo was already a very thin and comfortable watch, but who can say no to an even thinner case?
It is a fact that the main change is in the movement part. The new, Ref. 16202, features the in-house automatic Caliber 7121, produced exclusively for the Jumbo model. Despite the 3.05mm thickness of the previous caliber, the new movement is 3.2mm thick. It is a nice thing that the total thickness of the watch has decreased. The new caliber operates at a frequency of 4Hz (28800vph) and now offers 55 hours of power reserve when fully wound. I think the most important innovation is that the torture for setting the date on your new Jumbo is over. Just like "other" watches, you can set the date quickly.
Yes, the Caliber 2121 could cause romantic feelings with its legendary history and the special feelings brought by its use only in the Jumbo model, but it was a fact that it had features that did not suit today's horology standards. I am very happy that the new Jumbo has finally been able to meet these standards. Without forgetting, the 50th-anniversary special rotor added to the Jumbo models that will be produced throughout 2022 will not be used in the watches of the following years. Although I cannot match the font used in this logo to the general character of the model, we cannot ignore the fact that this year's Jumbos will be considered as a limited edition.
Although I use the adjective perfect for Jumbo in the above paragraphs, I cannot help but mention my only criticism about the watch that has appeared in my mind. To adjust the bracelet of the Jumbo to your wrist, you have to remove the links. Since there is no micro-adjustment mechanism in the bracelet or clasp, it is not always possible to achieve the “exact” tightness you want. The watch does not cause any discomfort on the wrist with its comfortable and thin structure, but I would prefer this feature to be added.
New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo is available in yellow gold case/black-yellow gradient dial, rose gold case/black-gray gradient dial, platinum case/black-green gradient dial, rose gold case/smoked skeleton dial, stainless steel case/ Rhodium skeleton dial beside the stainless steel case/night blue dial version.
