The turn has come for white gold.
In 2022, not only did the grandiose 50th anniversary celebration of Audemars Piguet's iconic Royal Oak demonstrate AP's loyalty to traditions, it also showed the brand's openness to change. AP wasn't the only watchmaker who used caliber 2121.
Developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre, it was also housed in watches by Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. But two years ago, the "Jumbo" model finally waved goodbye to it. The new anniversary "Jumbo" was equipped with their own in-house caliber 7121.
Its skeletonized version 7124 was introduced at the same time. The model initially housed in steel and rose-gold has since appeared in yellow gold. And this year, the turn has come for white gold. Unlike the steel version, the novelty has gone full monochrome.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Openworked ref. 16204BC.OO.1240BC.01
There are no rose-gold hands or hour markers to be seen here. The shape and size of the case remains the same — 39 mm × 8.1 mm. The low-key color palette and black minute track draw even more attention to the movement itself.
The openworked version scraps the date display used in caliber 7121, allowing 7124 to be slimmed down to 2.7 mm in height. The movement has a 57-hour power reserve, and runs at a frequency of 4 Hz.
The hand-finished components deserve highlighting. At Audemars Piguet, they've even calculated that this movement features 324 hand-polished V-angle — and all of this in a movement that consists of 211 components.
Audemars Piguet Calibre 7124 with 57 h power reserve
Audemars Piguet Calibre 7124 with 57 h power reserve
No limit has been set for the AP Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Openworked — the model has been welcomed into the permanent collection. But don't get your hopes up that they'll be available in large quantities.
The brand's new CEO Ilaria Resta, who has replaced the once seemingly irreplaceable François-Henry Bennahmias, recently admitted that they have no plans to increase production.
The caseback reveals an openworked rotor mounted on ball bearings. The shape of the caseback itself mirrors the famous octagonal bezel. It has a brushed finish on this model, which looks particularly striking in contrast with the polished sides.