50 YEARS OF SUCCESS
The revolutionary watch from the Le Brassus manufacture, designed by Gérald Genta, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022 with, among other things, a new engine and a personalized oscillating weight.
When it was unveiled in 1972, the Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet was a surprise. Designed by Gérald Genta in one night, it was initially considered an unusual watch with its atypical silhouette – a steel case with integrated lugs, measuring 39mm, a diameter then considered too “large” (hence its nickname of Jumbo), which is encircled by a large octagonal bezel fitted with eight screws – before becoming a must-have piece of the watchmaking landscape and an object of desire that enthusiasts clamored for. Half a century later, the manufacture in Le Brassus presents the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Plat 39mm, a version equipped with a new automatic movement.
Indeed, after 5 years of development, Caliber 7121 now replaces the original 2121. It has a larger barrel for greater precision, adopts a patented date mechanism to reduce energy consumption, vibrates at the standard frequency of 4hz and provides 55 hours of power reserve. Its rhodium-plated 22-carat gold oscillating weight bears the special 50th anniversary inscription.
The dial features the traditional Petite Tapisserie pattern in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50“ (Night Blue, Cloud 50), a color obtained by PVD and not by galvanic bath as in the Seventies. Machined in white gold and hollowed out, the applied hour markers and the bathtub-shaped hands are filled with luminescent material for optimized time reading, while the date is displayed at 3 o’clock.
The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Plat 39mm is worn with a steel bracelet with a folding clasp.
Price: 29,700 CHF
By Sharmila Bertin