Audemars Piguet reinterprets the Royal Oak "JUMBO" ultra-thin skeleton watch with a new movement and modern design
April 2022, Brassus – To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak series, Audemars Piguet, the Swiss luxury watch brand, launched a new generation of Royal Oak Royal Oak series “Jumbo” ultra-thin skeleton watch ( Model Ref. 16204). The two watches are made of stainless steel and 18K rose gold respectively, equipped with a new self-winding ultra-thin skeleton movement Calibre 7124 specially developed by Audemars Piguet for this model, and equipped with the Royal Oak Royal Oak series 50th anniversary exclusive automatic oscillating weight. The design of the watch is very modern, showing Audemars Piguet's pursuit of new ideas and reinterpreting traditional skills, and continuing the spirit of continuous breakthroughs in the Royal Oak Royal Oak series.
The new Royal Oak Royal Oak series "Jumbo" ultra-thin skeleton watch, made of stainless steel or 18K rose gold, equipped with a new self-winding skeleton movement Calibre 7124, equipped with a 50th anniversary exclusive automatic oscillating weight
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Calibre 7124 movement
The crystallization of precision machinery and hand-finishing
The Calibre 7124, which debuts in the two new timepieces, is a skeletonized version of the self-winding ultra-thin Calibre 7121 that Audemars Piguet equips the Ref. 16202 with. The two movements were developed in parallel, and since the beginning of their design, Audemars Piguet has carefully conceived the position and geometry of the components of these two movements to ensure that the internal structure of the skeleton movement is harmonious and balanced.
The new Calibre 7124 movement fully integrates precision, practicality, deep hollowing technology and ultra-thin design. This self-winding ultra-thin skeleton movement with time and minutes display is only 2.7 mm thick, but the barrel volume is enlarged, so it has more energy than the previous generation skeleton movement Calibre 5122 (thickness 3.05 mm). Like the Calibre 7121 movement, the Calibre 7124 movement is equipped with an automatic oscillating weight with a modern and slim design, mounted on ball bearings, and ensures the efficiency of bidirectional winding through two steering gears exclusively developed by Audemars Piguet. The screw balance wheel is equipped with an inertia block, which is embedded directly in the balance wheel, avoiding unnecessary friction.
The skeletonization of the movement is accomplished by the careful and skillful hands of the watchmaker. Audemars Piguet has been focusing on the art of hollowing out since the 1930s. The hollowing process requires the material on the main splint and bridge plate of the movement to be reduced as much as possible, so that the light can fully penetrate the movement without affecting the function, showing the transparent beauty of the inner structure. The hollowing process requires the use of computer numerical control (CNC) technology to cut out the preliminary geometric contours of the main plate and bridge plate, and then sculpt by electrical discharge machining (EDM). This process removes excess material with extreme precision, resulting in an ideal movement construction. Subsequently, the watchmakers use traditional manual skills to meticulously retouch the components of the movement. 324 V-shaped chamfers can be seen through the front and back of the watch, and only hand-polished can present such a delicate texture.
modern aesthetic
The two new watches, from the case to the strap and even the folding clasp, are all decorated with Audemars Piguet’s signature satin brushed and polished alternately.
Among them, the stainless steel model is equipped with a rhodium-colored hollow movement in the same color as the case, showing a unique light and shadow effect. Like other Royal Oak Anniversary models due in 2022, this timepiece features an anniversary-exclusive automatic rotor in rhodium-coloured 22K rose gold, echoing the grey tones on the underside of the movement. The 18K rose gold hour-markers and hands on the dial, as well as the rose gold gear train and balance wheel visible through the gaps of the skeletonized bridges, provide a subtle contrast and accentuate the watch’s very contemporary monochrome Department of aesthetic design.
The 18K rose gold model subtly blends different shades. Dark grey openworked bridges and main plate contrast with the light grey openworked barrel at 11 o’clock. The spiral mainspring that powers the watch is clearly visible through the skeletonized barrel. The tone of the barrel is subtly echoed by the white gold hexagonal screws that secure the bezel to the case. The rose gold balance wheel and gear train contrast with the 18K rose gold hour markers and hands on the dial, making the watch more visually pleasing and more eye-catching. The 22K rose gold anniversary-exclusive automatic oscillating weight also creates a contrasting beauty on the bottom side of the watch.
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A modern interpretation of a time-honored craftsmanship
The Royal Oak Royal Oak series iterates every ten years. So far, more than 50 skeleton watches have been launched. With different movements, sizes, materials and styles, they show the passion and professional skills of watchmaking that have been passed down from generation to generation for decades.
In the early days of the collection, the Calibre 2120 and its derivatives, including the Calibre 2121 on the first Royal Oak, remained hidden behind the case. Under the wave of quartz watches, this principle was subverted, and watchmakers began to think about how to reveal the structural beauty of mechanical movements and show the subtle connotation of traditional watchmaking skills.
In the early 1970s, several young Audemars Piguet watchmakers, with the support of their predecessors, began to re-explore the exquisite hollowing technology mastered by the brand in the 1930s and 1950s. Audemars Piguet has set up its first hollow workshop for this purpose. When the workshop was launched, Georges Golay, then general manager of Audemars Piguet, had an ambitious request to create 100 Calibre 2120 skeleton movements. This is an extremely difficult task, and each movement takes 150 hours to make. The first wristwatch equipped with this movement (Ref. 5442) was introduced in November 1973, and by 1976 about 30 pieces were produced per year. In 1978, Audemars Piguet produced a total of 300 skeleton watches equipped with the Calibre 2120 movement. By 1984, the workshop had more than a dozen craftsmen specializing in hollowing techniques.
In 1981, the Royal Oak Royal Oak series introduced the hollow design for the first time with the introduction of the Ref. 5710BA pocket watch, followed by the Ref. However, it wasn't until the 1990s that skeletonization really became widespread in the collection. During this period, Audemars Piguet released a number of Royal Oak Royal Oak series hollow watches of different sizes and styles.
The first "Jumbo" skeleton watch was released in 1992, and the dial of this one-off model (Ref. 14811) was meticulously engraved with an oak tree pattern. The watch was sold at auction, with the proceeds going to support the newly established Audemars Piguet Foundation. Several other "Jumbo" skeleton watches with the ultra-thin Calibre 2120 were launched before 2000 and produced in extremely small numbers. Some of these models feature diamond-set hands (e.g. Ref. 14789, Ref. 14793 and Ref. 14814), while others feature extremely unique designs such as Ref. 14884 and Ref. 12518 (Audemars Piguet 125th The dial of the commemorative special edition model) is decorated with a navy anchor pattern and a backdrop of rough seas surrounded by ropes.
In 2010, Audemars Piguet launched the Ref. 15305 watch, marking the skeletonized design to reproduce the "Jumbo" model. This timepiece is powered by the Calibre 3129 self-winding movement with a thickness of only 4.31 mm. The color tone of the galvanized movement contrasts elegantly with the stainless steel case. Two years later, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak series, Audemars Piguet launched a new dark grey skeletonized “Jumbo” limited edition watch, equipped with the brand’s latest Calibre 5122 movement, with an elegant 950 platinum case. This watch was launched in 18K rose gold in 2014.
This year, the Royal Oak Royal Oak series "Jumbo" ultra-thin skeleton watch returns with a new movement and a sophisticated aesthetic design, demonstrating Audemars Piguet's brand spirit of excellence.
“Born in Le Brassus, raised around the world.”
technical parameter
Royal Oak Royal Oak "Jumbo" Ultra-Thin Skeleton // 39mm diameter
16204ST.OO.1240ST.01
Function Hours, minutes display
Case Stainless steel case, thickness 8.1 mm, anti-glare sapphire crystal and case back, water-resistant to 50 meters
Dial Rhodium-coloured skeleton movement, rose gold luminescent applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands, rhodium-coloured inner bezel
Strap Stainless steel strap with AP folding clasp
Movement Calibre 7124 Self-winding in-house movement
Overall diameter 29.6 mm (12 ¾ lignes)
Overall thickness 2.7mm
Number of gems 31
Number of parts 211
Guaranteed minimum power reserve of 57 hours
Balance frequency 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)
Royal Oak Royal Oak "Jumbo" Ultra-Thin Skeleton // 39mm diameter
16204OR.OO.1240OR.01
Function Hours, minutes display
Case 18K rose gold case, thickness 8.1 mm, anti-glare sapphire crystal and case back, water-resistant to 50 meters
Dial Dark grey skeleton movement, rose gold luminescent applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands, black inner bezel
Strap 18K rose gold strap with AP folding clasp
Movement Calibre 7124 Self-winding in-house movement
Overall diameter 29.6 mm (12 ¾ lignes)
Overall thickness 2.7mm
Number of gems 31
Number of parts 211
Guaranteed minimum power reserve of 57 hours
Balance frequency 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)
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