Audemars Piguet Shocking news! Last night, the brand officially released a series of new works to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Royal Oak collection. Today, we will introduce the model 16202 of the Royal Oak Jumbo series.
The Royal Oak Jumbo introduced this time is Audemars Piguet’s first new model in the past 22 years. The new model, numbered 16202, is also the successor to the 15202; it was first launched with four self-winding designs, including a stainless steel version with a steel bracelet and a special anniversary blue dial (16202ST.OO.1240ST.01); a rose gold version with a rose gold bracelet and a smoked grey dial (16202OR.OO.1240OR.01); a yellow gold version with a yellow gold bracelet and a smoked gold dial (16202BA.OO.1240BA.01); and a platinum version with a platinum bracelet, paired with a smoked green dial (16202PT.OO.1240PT.01). In terms of size, all four versions have a case diameter of 39mm and a thickness of 8.1mm, consistent with the previous model (15202).
The appearance design of the previous generation is retained, so how can it become a completely new model? This statement is only half correct, because the new generation that looks unchanged actually has all the essence inside the watch.
Audemars Piguet’s Director of Research and Development, Lucas Raggi, shared: “Our engineers and watchmakers who are proficient in various basic and complex movements have joined forces to create the 7121 movement.” In other words, the focus of the modern Royal Oak Jumbo is definitely on the 7121 movement.
The new 7121 movement is a new work developed by AP engineers and watchmakers over 5 years, involving all departments of the brand. Structurally, the 7121 movement is larger (29.6mm vs 28.4mm), thicker (3.2mm vs 3.05mm), more complex (268 components vs 247 components), with a higher frequency (28,800vph vs 19,800vph), providing more power reserve (55 hours vs 40 hours), and equipped with a 22K gold “50th Anniversary” exclusive rotor – this feature will be the symbol of all Royal Oak series anniversary models launched in 2022. In addition, the new 7121 movement now has an updated automatic winding system, with its in-house reverse inverter and balance wheel enhancing the shock resistance of the 7121 movement. It is worth noting that the brand has also announced that this new movement will be the basis for future AP watches.
Although at first glance, the appearance design of 16202 is not significantly different from the previous generation 15202 or even the original 5402 version, the variety of materials and dials offered is where the brand’s emphasis lies.
Among the four styles, you can see that the iconic Bagnoire shape is still retained, with the words “Audemars Piguet Automatic” engraved back to the 12 o’clock position, a polished “AP” logo made of 18K gold placed at the 6 o’clock position, “Swiss Made” separated at the bottom, and minute markers directly printed on the dial. Three of them, stainless steel blue dial, rose gold dial, and gold dial, continue to be paired with the Petite Tapisserie dial created for the Royal Oak series by the Stern Frères watchmaking workshop in Geneva in 1972.
Here it is, the key point is that only the platinum green dial style does not come with a Petite Tapisserie dial, its design with a “smoky effect” is the essence. It is understood that all four new works are equipped with a smoky dial, and this design can only be achieved through electroplating immersion, and the watchmaker must handle the electroplating duration and temperature very strictly and carefully, and carefully spray paint on the dial and different parts to present the smoky effect, while also considering that the outer area of the dial can achieve a seamless gradient effect when rotating.
However, extra caution is needed during the plating and pigment mixing steps due to the platinum green surface being paired with a sunburst dial.
As for the so-called duration and temperature during the electroplating process, what else should be noted? You can refer to the steel blue dial. It is reported that this blue dial is almost a perfect replica of the original 5402 dial, with the Nuage 50 color originally developed by the Stern Frères brothers – Nuage refers to the cloud effect produced when black lacquer enters the protective lacquer – while the blue tone on the 16202 is produced through electroplating. First, watchmakers need to control the electroplating time. If the dial is removed too early, it will turn purple, and if it is too late, it will turn black; then a few drops of black paint (n°50) are applied to the dial for protection. In order to ensure that the color of all watches in the series is consistent, the Nuage 50 tone is produced using PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating technology within the watch factory.
Fifty years of classics, waited ten years for such a meaningful change – it is necessary to know that from 5402 to 15202 for decades, its equipped with the 2121 movement is the thinnest automatic winding movement in the world for many years. Therefore, the appearance of the new movement is definitely a big leap for AP – celebrating the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking design of the Royal Oak in this way is the best and most fitting interpretation of Audemars Piguet’s status. How much does it cost? Let me say, first appreciate the beauty of the 16202. For information on other new releases in the Royal Oak series for the 50th anniversary, stay tuned for ZTYLEZ MAN’s follow-up reports.
資料及圖片來源：Courtesy of Audemars Piguet
