Conceived as a home-like atmosphere – and located in more discreet locations than traditional boutiques – AP Houses are key to Audemars Piguet’s retail strategy. And now the handful of AP Houses around the world have their own exclusive edition, the Royal Oak “Jumbo” in platinum with a smoked green dial.

Initial thoughts

The Royal Oak “Jumbo” ref. 15202 is an iconic design, and one of the genuine instances where the label is applied correctly. It’s also thin and elegant, while having a substantial presence. And the cal. 2121 inside is an old but impressively sophisticated calibre.

But the Jumbo is also one of the hottest watches today, and its desirability has long become disconnected with its intrinsic qualities.

Being platinum, the latest version is extremely expensive, but also extremely attractive. The weight and lustre of the metal – especially combined with the fine case finishing of the Royal Oak – gives it tremendous tangible appeal. And the green dial, while not novel (it isn’t a modern-day invention but H. Moser is today’s best practitioner of the smoked finish), looks good.

The new Jumbo is, in short, a beautiful watch that’s going to be rather hard to obtain.

House exclusive

There are seven AP Houses around the world, including in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Bangkok, which will be the only venues to obtain the new Jumbo. Production will be limited to 100 watches in the first year, which means each AP House should get about two a month on average for the rest of 2021.

Two elements make this a “house special”. One is the platinum case, which is a surprisingly uncommon occurrence for the Royal Oak Jumbo. While earlier generations of the Jumbo included a handful of platinum examples, the current Jumbo ref. 15202 has only been produced in platinum in one other variant, a 70-piece limited edition with an onyx dial and diamond hour markers (ref. 15206PT.OO.1240PT.01) made for its boutiques in Japan as well as Tokyo retailer Yoshida.

The other distinguishing feature is the dial. In contrast to most Royal Oak dials that have chequerboard tapisserie engine turning, this has a clean, radially-brushed finish to go with the smoked green. Bright in the centre and almost black at the edges, the green dial is meant to evoke the semiprecious stone dials that were popular in the 1970s according to Audemars Piguet.

Alongside the Jumbo, Audemars Piguet also unveiled a handful of other Royal Oak watches with dark green dials, albeit with the traditional guilloche finish.

The new Jumbo, alongside the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillons in green

Key facts and price

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 39 mm
Ref. 15202PT.OO.1240PT.01

Diameter: 39 mm
Height: 8.1 mm
Material: Platinum
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: 50 m

Movement: Cal. 2121
Functions: Hours, minutes, and date
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 19,800 beats per hour (2.75 Hz)
Power reserve: 40 hours

Strap: Platinum bracelet

Limited edition: No, but only 100 pieces will be made in 2021
Availability: Only at AP Houses
Price: US$105,400; or 146,600 Singapore dollars

For more information, visit Audemarspiguet.com.