Royal Oak 16202. Audemars Piguet celebrates the 50th anniversary of its celebrated timepiece with the Royal Oak Jumbo 16202. Full details and pricing
To celebrate the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, Audemars Piguet is introducing today the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 39 mm ref. 16202, the latest generation of their most celebrated creation.
The main new feature is represented by the Manufacture’s self-winding movement Calibre 7121 which, for the first time since 1972, replaces the Calibre 2121 introduced on the original Royal Oak.
The new movement, which measures 3.2 mm in thickness (vs. 3.05 mm of the old Calibre 2121), has been conceived and produced by Audemars Piguet engineers to fit in the extra-thin 8.1 mm “Jumbo” case without affecting the overall aesthetics.
The result of five years of development, the new Calibre 7121 guarantees more autonomy than its predecessor (55 hours vs 40) thanks to a larger barrel. It is also equipped with a contemporary central oscillating weight mounted on ball bearings that utilises two reversers developed in-house to ensure bidirectional winding. Its balance wheel is fitted with inertia blocks that have been directly inserted within the balance wheel to avoid unnecessary friction. In addition, it is equipped with a patented extra-thin low-energy date-setting mechanism.
Differently from the 2.75 Hz (19,800 vibrations per hour) Calibre 2121, the new Calibre 7121 operates at the frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vph).
Visible through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback, the finishes of Calibre 7121 include techniques such as “Côtes de Genève,” “traits tirés” and circular graining.
The dedicated anniversary openworked oscillating weight in 22-carat gold features the “50 years” logo and the engraved Audemars Piguet signature. For the occasion, the oscillating weight has been matched to the colour of each case – a practice usually reserved to complicated timepieces.
The “50 years” oscillating weight will be fitted to the Royal Oak anniversary models only throughout 2022.
Only subtle changes have been performed on the Royal Oak 39 mm case. The bevels adorning the top and the bottom of the case have been enlarged to enhance the play of light between the satin-finished and polished surfaces. For its part, the caseback has been slightly more integrated into the case middle for improved ergonomics.
The integrated bracelet’s first four links are now trapezoid in shape and no longer parallel. For added comfort, the links are also thinner and thicker.
The range is comprised of four models in stainless steel, 18-carat pink and yellow gold, and platinum.
The stainless steel model, ref. 16202ST.OO.1240ST.01, features a “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating.
The signature dial elements are all there: the original baignoire or “bathtub”-shaped hour-markers and hands, which enable the luminescent material to be poured in for enhanced readability legibility; the polished gold applied AP monogram at 6 o’clock; and the printed “AUDEMARS PIGUET AUTOMATIC” mention at 12 o’clock.
The “SWISS MADE” indication, which came to replace “SWISS” around the mid-1980s, remains positioned at 6 o’clock, with the words SWISS and MADE on either side of the hour-marker to balance the dial. Indicative price: Euro 32,600. / US$ 33,200.
The pink gold version, ref. 16202OR.OO.1240OR.01, is matched to a smoked grey dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern. Indicative price: Euro 69,400 / US$ 70,500.
A smoked yellow-gold-toned dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern is the choice for the yellow gold variation ref. 16202BA.OO.1240BA.01. Indicative price: Euro 69,400 / US$ 70,500.
Finally, we have the "Jumbo" in Platinum 950 which features the smoked green dial with sunburst base like the one presented last year on the reference 15202PT. Reserved to AP Houses, reference 16202PT.OO.1240PT.01 has an indicative price of Euro 112,300 / US$ 114,000.
All the new Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin 39 mm 16202 are water resistant to 50 metres / 165 feet.
You can read the fascinating story of this iconic timepiece in our feature article "History of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak". audemarspiguet.com
It's all good but the 50 years logo on the oscillating weight is not well integrated IMHO. I'd prefer a rotor without it so it looks like I have to wait till 2023!
ReplyDelete