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Lot Essay
Christie’s is extremely honoured to have the opportunity to offer to our international clients and collectors this superb Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ Extra-Thin ‘50th Anniversary’ steel wristwatch with ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ dial, one of the first to be presented at auction. Only in production for one year with the exclusive ‘50th anniversary’ winding rotor, it was acquired by the owner of the Ultimate Collection as one of the world’s great watch collectors. Naturally, as part of this extraordinary collection, this Royal Oak is presented in impeccable condition.
The 50th anniversary of AP’s Royal Oak in 2022 was an important milestone event not only for Audemars Piguet the company, for whom it was an incredibly significant year, but also in the broader history of watchmaking. Any retrospective assessment of the Royal Oak’s wider impact on modern wristwatch design and the luxury wristwatch market in the modern era will identify its introduction in 1972 as a fearlessly bold and seminal moment that was truly the birth of a legend.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary, Audemars Piguet unveiled the present brand new ‘Jumbo’ reference 16202ST, the first new Royal Oak reference for 22 years which replaced the now iconic reference 15202. The new model pays tribute to the original Royal Oak 5402 from 1972 with its body of hand-finished steel and the ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50, Petite Tapisserie’ dial. The dial colour closely copies the original dial of the 5402 that was made by Stern Frères. The new reference 16202 also debuts a new automatic movement calibre, five years in development, the larger and improved caliber 7121, with quick date-set and 55-hour power reserve that, for the anniversary year only, is fitted with a rhodium-toned pink gold ‘50-years’ rotor. Although the movement is slightly larger in size than the previous caliber 2121, remarkably the external case size remains identical to the reference 15202.
Four versions of the new reference 16202 Royal Oak were released for the 50th anniversary, the present steel model, and three in precious metal; yellow gold, pink gold and platinum, each with a different coloured dial.
Unsurprisingly due to huge demand, the steel Royal Oak 16202ST is extremely hard to find. The present watch gives collectors the perfect opportunity to obtain this contemporary rarity without delay.
The Royal Oak Story
Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is a phenomenon, one of the most recognizable and successful wristwatch models of all time and the first luxury steel sports watch. The concept of the luxury sports watch was completely alien when the Royal Oak was introduced in 1972. Of course Rolex had been producing steel Submariners and GMT-Masters for many years before, but the Rolex steel watches were regarded not as luxury watches as such, but as working instruments or tool watches for professionals. The Royal Oak was designed by none other than Gerald Genta, the man behind many of the most enduring wristwatch designs of the last 50 years. The watch featuring an octagonal screwed bezel that was initially inspired by an antique diver’s helmet is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic wristwatch designs of the 20th century. Not only is it the cornerstone of the brand’s success until today, it was also the forerunner of other iconic watches like the Patek Philippe Nautilus which was based upon similar design principles by Gerald Genta.
The water resistant case has a visible gasket and a dial decorated with the ‘petit tapisserie’ pattern that is now part of the Royal Oak’s DNA.
The movement was the superb automatic caliber 2121, which was still used for the Royal Oak Jumbo ref.15202. The caliber 2121 was based on the Audemars Piguet caliber 2120 with the addition of a date complication. The caliber 2120 was introduced in 1967, the culmination of a project led by Jaeger-LeCoultre, with the technical contribution of Audemars Piguet and the funding of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, for the development of an ultra-thin automatic movement. This collaboration resulted in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 920, a highly innovative and reliable movement, that each of the three backers renamed and customized for their own watches, hence the Patek Philippe 28-255 C was used for the Nautilus and the Vacheron Constantin 1120 was fitted to the 222 model.
Audemars Piguet chose the name ‘Royal Oak’ because of its nautical associations, named after the series of eight ships of the British Royal Navy that had in turn been named after the story of King Charles II of England’s escape from the Roundheads - the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War - following the Battle of Worcester in 1651 when the King (then a Prince) hid in an oak tree, the Boscobel Oak, to evade capture.
Collectors have long been discovering and researching the rarities from the last 50 years of production of the Royal Oak. Early examples from the ‘A’ series, tropical dials, perpetual calendars and precious metal versions all continue to capture the serious attention of watch enthusiasts. Allying dominant design and ground-breaking materials, the watches of the Royal Oak collection are amongst the most coveted timepieces ever, enjoying an ever expanding popularity.
The 50th anniversary of AP’s Royal Oak in 2022 was an important milestone event not only for Audemars Piguet the company, for whom it was an incredibly significant year, but also in the broader history of watchmaking. Any retrospective assessment of the Royal Oak’s wider impact on modern wristwatch design and the luxury wristwatch market in the modern era will identify its introduction in 1972 as a fearlessly bold and seminal moment that was truly the birth of a legend.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary, Audemars Piguet unveiled the present brand new ‘Jumbo’ reference 16202ST, the first new Royal Oak reference for 22 years which replaced the now iconic reference 15202. The new model pays tribute to the original Royal Oak 5402 from 1972 with its body of hand-finished steel and the ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50, Petite Tapisserie’ dial. The dial colour closely copies the original dial of the 5402 that was made by Stern Frères. The new reference 16202 also debuts a new automatic movement calibre, five years in development, the larger and improved caliber 7121, with quick date-set and 55-hour power reserve that, for the anniversary year only, is fitted with a rhodium-toned pink gold ‘50-years’ rotor. Although the movement is slightly larger in size than the previous caliber 2121, remarkably the external case size remains identical to the reference 15202.
Four versions of the new reference 16202 Royal Oak were released for the 50th anniversary, the present steel model, and three in precious metal; yellow gold, pink gold and platinum, each with a different coloured dial.
Unsurprisingly due to huge demand, the steel Royal Oak 16202ST is extremely hard to find. The present watch gives collectors the perfect opportunity to obtain this contemporary rarity without delay.
The Royal Oak Story
Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is a phenomenon, one of the most recognizable and successful wristwatch models of all time and the first luxury steel sports watch. The concept of the luxury sports watch was completely alien when the Royal Oak was introduced in 1972. Of course Rolex had been producing steel Submariners and GMT-Masters for many years before, but the Rolex steel watches were regarded not as luxury watches as such, but as working instruments or tool watches for professionals. The Royal Oak was designed by none other than Gerald Genta, the man behind many of the most enduring wristwatch designs of the last 50 years. The watch featuring an octagonal screwed bezel that was initially inspired by an antique diver’s helmet is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic wristwatch designs of the 20th century. Not only is it the cornerstone of the brand’s success until today, it was also the forerunner of other iconic watches like the Patek Philippe Nautilus which was based upon similar design principles by Gerald Genta.
The water resistant case has a visible gasket and a dial decorated with the ‘petit tapisserie’ pattern that is now part of the Royal Oak’s DNA.
The movement was the superb automatic caliber 2121, which was still used for the Royal Oak Jumbo ref.15202. The caliber 2121 was based on the Audemars Piguet caliber 2120 with the addition of a date complication. The caliber 2120 was introduced in 1967, the culmination of a project led by Jaeger-LeCoultre, with the technical contribution of Audemars Piguet and the funding of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, for the development of an ultra-thin automatic movement. This collaboration resulted in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 920, a highly innovative and reliable movement, that each of the three backers renamed and customized for their own watches, hence the Patek Philippe 28-255 C was used for the Nautilus and the Vacheron Constantin 1120 was fitted to the 222 model.
Audemars Piguet chose the name ‘Royal Oak’ because of its nautical associations, named after the series of eight ships of the British Royal Navy that had in turn been named after the story of King Charles II of England’s escape from the Roundheads - the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War - following the Battle of Worcester in 1651 when the King (then a Prince) hid in an oak tree, the Boscobel Oak, to evade capture.
Collectors have long been discovering and researching the rarities from the last 50 years of production of the Royal Oak. Early examples from the ‘A’ series, tropical dials, perpetual calendars and precious metal versions all continue to capture the serious attention of watch enthusiasts. Allying dominant design and ground-breaking materials, the watches of the Royal Oak collection are amongst the most coveted timepieces ever, enjoying an ever expanding popularity.