Hands On With the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Ref. 16202

Powered by a new selfwinding extra-thin movement, Calibre 7121, the Ref. 16202 comes in four enticing variations and a super convenient quick-set date function

 

To celebrate the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, Audemars Piguet have just unveiled the newest generation of the 39mm Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin — a.k.a. the Ref. 16202 – after an incredible 21-year run of its predecessor, the ref. 15202. The brand-new collection is made up of four models in stainless steel, platinum, 18k pink gold and 18k yellow gold — materials that have played an iconic role throughout the epic history of the Royal Oak. 

What’s more – we were able to get our hands on three of the four iterations of the Ref.16202: one in steel; one in rose gold; and one in platinum. 

Right off the bat, I can confirm that a lot of improvements have been made — little tweaks here and there that I’m sure a lot of collectors and purists will appreciate. But before I get into that, let’s talk about the O.G. Royal Oak — the Ref. 5402 — and how it changed the entire industry when it was launched in 1972. 

 

 

Let’s rewind our clocks back to 1970. The Seiko Astron had just launched, and it had completely obliterated the watch industry. Companies were going bankrupt left and right, and all the watch brands were pivoting, wanting to make quartz watches instead of mechanical ones. 

However, AP did the complete opposite — a move which, at the time, seemed absurd to most. Instead, they launched the [mechanical] Royal Oak — which was aptly nicknamed the ‘Jumbo’ — because most watches of the time were much smaller than its 39mm size. Of course, you’ll find that 39mm is now commonplace, and actually even relatively small compared to a lot of watches that AP makes. 

Back then, luxury watches in steel (much less with an octagonal bezel and exposed screws!) simply did not exist. The Ref. 5402ST was a bold and brazen design that broke all aesthetic codes of the 70’s – and thus, the watch essentially turned the industry upside down – in more ways than one. The 5402ST was a whopping 35 times the price of a steel Rolex at the time. To put things into perspective, it cost just as much as a Jaguar – which, at the time, was the pinnacle of luxury automobiles. 

 

 

Now, what we’re all here for: let’s dive into the brand-new Ref. 16202. 

As we all know, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak this year — which, of course, means that this is an extremely important year for AP. Last year, we bid farewell to the Ref. 15202 – a reference that was revamped in 2012 with a facelift that paid homage to the original 5402ST made in 1972 — the original Royal Oak. The 16202ST, in effect, does the same. 

 

The Dial

Let’s begin with the dial. The 16202ST features AP’s iconic Petite Tapisserie dial in Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 (“night blue, cloud 50”) — the exact same shade used in the original 5402ST. While once achieved with immersion in a galvanic bath, today, the dial colour is now applied via a technique called PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) to achieve a more uniform finish throughout.

When compared with the blue dial of the 15202ST, the 16202ST’s is more muted; less of an electric blue. It’s a hue that rings true to the original dial colour of the 5402ST, which makes sense as a piece that is meant to pay homage to its forefather.

The 16202PT in platinum (which remains an AP House exclusive) on the other hand, is outfitted with a gorgeous smoked green dial as seen on the previous iteration we are all familiar with: the GPHG-award-winning 15202PT. 

 

 

 

 

The 16202OR in pink gold has been given a smoked taupe-grey dial, and the 16202BA in yellow gold sports a smoked yellow-gold dial. Both watches come with a “Petite Tapisserie” dial that gets its amazing smokey look thanks to a complex process of spraying varnish onto the dial’s periphery, which also lends a shimmery effect to the watch’s face.

Interestingly, the first Royal Oak in yellow gold (Ref. 8638) was originally made for women in 1977. AP also introduced the “Jumbo”  Ref. 5402BA in yellow gold in the 1970s and thereafter some models in pink gold in the 1980s.

Last but not the least, AP has also reworked its logo for the latest models. The new embossed signature was originally made for the Code 11.59 but we will now be seeing it on all the Royal Oak “anniversary” models. Intricately crafted out of thin layers of 24k gold, this signature was a tricky feat to achieve. It took AP close to three years to develop an exclusive technique just to hand-set the super-thin gold letters on the 34 and 37mm dials.

 

 

 

 

The Case

Moving on to the case: the Ref. 16202 is 0.1mm thinner than its predecessor, the 15202 (8.2mm), measuring in at 8.1mm. The stainless steel case and bracelet have been hand-finished with satin brushing and polished chamfers, in keeping with the original Royal Oak. Since the focus has been largely on improving the watch’s ergonomy without making any drastic changes to the iconic design, AP has introduced subtle improvements – for instance, the bevels on the top and the bottom of the case have been slightly enlarged to maximise the effect of light on the satin-finished and polished surfaces. The links on the integrated bracelet have been slimmed down for a sleeker look and the caseback also appears slightly modified for a more comfortable fit on the wrist.

 

 

The Movement 

I think we can all agree that the most important aspect of the Ref. 16202 is its brand new Calibre 7121. According to AP, Cal. 7121 took five years of development prior to its implementation in these new releases. 

Last year, the Ref.15202XP Unique Piece sold at the Only Watch auction was the watch that retired the legendary 2121 movement. The 7121 seems to be the rightful successor of that iconic movement. It’s essentially an elevated version of the movement that we all have known so well — the 2121. It’s great to see AP actually stepping away from the legendary 2121 movement that other brands still use, and create their own movement that, in my opinion, is far superior. 

As it’s the 50th anniversary, most Royal Oaks produced this year — at least new references — will come with a '50' engraved on the rotor. This is just for pieces produced this year. Next year, even if the same reference is in production, this special ‘50’ oscillating weight won’t be there. 

Moving on to the movement itself, the Cal. 7121 offers an upgraded 55 hours of power reserve, an improvement on the Cal. 2121’s 40 hours of power reserve. And for all the purists and 15202 (or 5402!) owners out there — you’ll be extremely glad to know that the 16202 finally comes with a quick-set date. Enthusiasts have been asking for this for 40 years, so it’s great that AP has finally included this function in the new iteration.

 

 

So even though Cal. 7121 isn’t as thin as the 2121 (I believe it’s 0.1mm thicker than the 2121 movement) as mentioned, it boasts a greater power reserve, a quick-set date, and, if you look at the finishing and design of the movement, it looks utterly modern. 

Again, these are just subtle changes – which, in my opinion, is actually the perfect way to pay homage to the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak. It’s a design that has endured 50 years — and people would still sell a kidney to get a Royal Oak these days. So I think facelifts are the way to go – there’s no need to reinvent anything, especially on a near-flawless product and design (save for waterproofing – I’m still waiting for that!).

All in all, I think AP have knocked it out of the park with the 16202. I wish them the best of luck in trying to allocate these watches, because I have no doubt that demand will be crazy. But what’s new?

 

 

 

The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked 

Though I haven’t seen the new Extra-Thin openworked watches in metal yet, I’m excited about the Calibre 7124, which is just 2.7mm thick and is equipped to deliver a power reserve of 57 hours (much higher than its predecessor, Calibre 5122, which could deliver 40 hours of power reserve). 

The highlight for the two variations – in stainless steel and 18k pink gold – is obviously the beautiful, openworked dial. Over the last five decades, AP has had more than 50 openworked dials in a variety of materials and styles. In fact, the brand was known for its skeletonised watches in the 1930s and 50s and post the Quartz Crisis, the manufacture ramped up the production of these intricately crafted watches with dozens of artisans working just on openworked watches. 

 

 

Coming back to the latest models, while the stainless steel version is adorned with a matching rhodium-toned openworked movement, the pink gold variation plays with a mix of tones for its captivating dial. While the openworked bridges on the pink gold model are in slate grey, the barrel is light grey, and the balance wheel and gear train are in tones of pink gold. 

Embellished with the 22k pink gold “50 years” oscillating weight, these watches are perfect examples of how effortlessly Audemars Piguet marries its traditional artistic know-how with contemporary watchmaking techniques, and I’m all for it. 

 

Specifications

Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 39 mm

Reference: 16202ST.OO.1240ST.01 
Diameter: 39mm
Dial: “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Movement: Selfwinding Calibre 7121

Frequency: 4 Hz 
Power reserve: 55 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes and date
Water resistance: Up to 50 m
Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet with AP folding clasp

Price: HK$ 257,000

Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 39 mm

Reference: 16202OR.OO.1240OR.01 
Diameter: 39mm
Dial: Smoked grey dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, pink gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Movement: Selfwinding Calibre 7121

Frequency: 4 Hz 
Power reserve: 55 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes and date
Water resistance: Up to 50 m
Bracelet: 18-carat pink gold bracelet with AP folding clasp 

Price: HK$ 547,000

Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 39 mm

Reference: 16202BA.OO.1240BA.01 
Diameter: 39mm
Dial: Smoked yellow-gold-toned dial with “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, yellow gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Movement: Selfwinding Calibre 7121

Frequency: 4 Hz 
Power reserve: 55 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes and date
Water resistance: Up to 50 m
Bracelet: 18k yellow gold bracelet with AP folding clasp

Price: HK$ 547,000

Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 39 mm

Reference: 16202PT.OO.1240PT.01 
Diameter: 39mm
Dial: Smoked green with sunburst base, white gold hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating. 
with luminescent coating
Movement: Selfwinding Calibre 7121

Frequency: 4 Hz 
Power reserve: 55 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes and date
Water resistance: Up to 50 m
Bracelet: 950 platinum bracelet with AP folding clasp

Price: HK$ 886,000

Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked 39 mm 

Reference: 16204ST.OO.1240ST.01
Diameter: 39 mm
Dial: Rhodium-toned openworked movement, pink gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Movement: Selfwinding Calibre 7124

Frequency: 4 Hz 
Power reserve:  57 hours
Functions: Hours and minutes
Water resistance: Up to 50 m
Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet with AP folding clasp

Price: HK$ 701,000 

 

Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked 39 mm 

Reference: 16204ST.OO.1240OOR.01
Diameter: 39 mm
Dial: Slate grey openworked movement, pink gold applied hour markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
Movement: Selfwinding Calibre 7124

Frequency: 4 Hz 
Power reserve: 57 hours
Functions: Hours and minutes
Water resistance: Water-resistant up to 50 m
Bracelet: 18k pink gold bracelet with AP folding clasp 

Price: HK$ 916,000

For more information, please visit Audemars Piguet online.