Audemars Piguet released a bunch of new watches over the last week or so, the most notable among which are the green dial Royal Oak models. In this subgroup there are a total of five new releases: a “jumbo” extra-thin, a chronograph, and three tourbillon models.
The “jumbo” comes in at 39mm in diameter, but only 8.1mm thick. This is achieved, in part, due to Audemars’ Calibre 2121 which is only 3.05mm thick. What makes this watch so distinct is the fact that it employs the following: 1) a full 950 platinum case and bracelet, and 2) a green fumé dial that Audemars calls a “smoked green dial with sunburst pattern”. I’ve yet to see this watch in person, but I think it’s safe to say that the center portion of this fumé dial reflects light more than most fumé dials out there. The power reserve on the watch is 40 hours and the movement beats at 2.75 Hz. Water resistance on the watch is 50m. Visible through the sapphire case back is the Cal. 2121 and its 22K rose gold oscillating weight.
On to my thoughts: I think the 39mm size is good, I think the metal choice of platinum is good, what I don’t exactly like is the dial. Yes, the Royal Oak typically has a grand tapisserie dial, and this is different, of course, but that’s not necessarily what bothers me about it. The Royal Oak is already a very metal-intensive watch. The bracelet is full metal, the case is full metal, its signature bezel is full metal… the last thing you want is for there to be so much metal and then to make the dial look small to further accentuate all of that metal. The sunburst green may help for it to show up a bit, but, unfortunately, the choice to use a fumé dial on this Royal Oak makes the dial feel smaller due to the black edges of the dial. This watch is close to being a thumbs up for me, but it’s not there yet. Despite that, I’m sure this model will be extremely sought after in Royal Oak circles.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin is available only at Audemars Piguet Houses (this is different from your standard boutique and is only available, to my knowledge, in New York, London, Munich, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, and Hong Kong) and is priced at 105,400 USD.
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