Palms-On AP Royal Oak Jumbo 16202 Tuscan Dial White Gold

Final week, Audemars Piguet launched an array of latest watches, starting from metal Code 11.59 to an astonishing grande complication watch – to be exact, probably the most sophisticated wristwatch ever created by the model – as its first semester 2023 assortment. In the midst of that, as a barely extra discreet launch, was a mannequin that clearly brings the cool issue to a excessive stage. Royal Oak Jumbo? Examine! White steel with blue dial? Examine! White gold and low availability? Sadly, verify! However extra importantly, there’s the dial. As a result of the brand new Royal Oak Jumbo 16202BC brings again one of many rarest but in addition most fascinating dial types utilized by AP up to now, the so-called Tuscan dial. And right here’s an early hands-on session with this Jumbo Grained Blue dial. 

The return of the uncommon Tuscan dial

As with lots of the nicknames given to uncommon and collectables (nicely, they grew to become collectables lately…) Audemars Piguet watches, the so-called Tuscan dial has to do with the Italian market and the members of the collector’s neighborhood – sellers and watch fanatics. Not solely the identify refers to Italy, but it surely has been given by Italians. No surprises, since this has lengthy been one of many key markets for the model, within the Seventies, 80s and 90s. The explanation behind this nickname, nevertheless, stays form of a thriller, because the connection between Tuscany and the grained blue dial isn’t apparent.

What’s a Tuscan dial? Effectively, it’s a uncommon texture, as soon as utilized by Audemars Piguet on quite a lot of fashions. Whereas most watch fanatics are accustomed to the tapisserie sample – and its a number of variations (petite, grande, mega or evolutive) – there are extra patterns and textures which were used on the Royal Oak and different collections. The Tuscan dial was primarily launched within the Nineties and has remained a uncommon sight, used on Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars, on one explicit Royal Oak Jumbo mannequin and on quite a lot of traditional Perpetual Calendars.

The idea was that of a hand-hammered dial, with a grained or frosted floor – a floor remedy that may come again within the late 2010s with impartial watchmakers. Besides that AP’s interpretation of the hammered floor was rougher and fewer common. It’s a uncommon dial, and it’s even rarer within the context of a Royal Oak Jumbo watch. Certainly, it solely appeared as soon as (no less than to our information) on the traditional 39mm Royal Oak Additional-Skinny, throughout the twentieth anniversary “Jubilee” assortment, on the extremely coveted and low-produced platinum examples.

For the twentieth anniversary of the mannequin born in 1972 and designed by Genta, Audemars Piguet re-issued the Jumbo and launched a set of fashions in numerous metals, from the traditional 14802ST in metal with blue dial (the primary re-edition of the historic Jumbo type), to its uncommon sister with salmon dial (each for a complete of 700 watches), after which 280 examples in yellow gold and 20 in platinum, a few of them with a so-called blue Tuscan dial. An instance has lately been coated on MONOCHROME, as a part of the Fiftieth-anniversary public sale held by Phillips. And it offered for 800k Swiss francs…

What’s extra essential, along with the general rarity of this dial on the RO Jumbo, is the truth that it’s the one watch to function this dial with out extra issues. The easy time-and-date show permits taking a look at all the small print that this provides, with its wealthy, advanced and man-made texture, the place imperfections create allure. Mixed with a darkish blue color, it ends in a watch that’s usually Royal Oak, but with a twist given the dearth of a tapisserie sample.

The Royal Oak Jumbo 16202BC Tuscan Dial

Earlier than we transfer to the specificity of this new model, the 16202BC is initially a contemporary Royal Oak Jumbo… with every little thing it implies. It’s thus the most recent era of a watch that began its life in 1972 because the reference 5402, barely up to date with a emblem at 12 o’clock as a part of the mid-life facelift, earlier than being discontinued within the late Nineteen Eighties. The mannequin will come again with the Jubilee assortment in 1992, with the reference 14802, adopted by the 15202 in 2000 and its facelift in 2012 for the fortieth anniversary, bringing again the brand at 6 o’clock.

Final yr, Audemars Piguet launched the essential replace many have been ready for, as a deal with for the Fiftieth anniversary of the watch. Visually, virtually nothing modified. Small particulars are to be found, equivalent to a dial color that’s the precise duplicate of the unique mannequin, or tiny updates on the case and bracelet. Not enough sufficient to distinguish a 15202 from a 16202 from the opposite facet of the room. What mattered on this 2022 replace was the motion. After 50 years of JLC-based, even-though internally produced motion, AP moved to in-house developed and manufactured, but respecting the codes of Additional-Skinny and bringing some notable updates.

Because the introduction of the reference 16202, we’ve seen already 4 editions; ST with metal case and tapisserie blue dial, BA with yellow gold case and gradient tapisserie golden dial, OR with rose gold case and tapisserie gray dial and PT with platinum case and gradient sunray-brushed inexperienced dial. There’s now a fifth model, representing the steel that wasn’t but in use, white gold, referred to as reference 16202BC. And it isn’t the direct successor of the 15202BC, a white gold watch with tapisserie salmon dial. Sorry for the frustration, the white steel/salmon dial Jumbo model isn’t but within the pipeline.

Being a reference 16202, this new Royal Oak Jumbo Additional-Skinny Tuscan dial is sharing all components with its sisters. 39mm diameter, traditional case, similar ending general as a metal mannequin, similar bezel with 8 screws, 8.1mm peak and 50m water-resistance. The bracelet, although fabricated from white gold, can also be an identical and has the identical clasp – which implies no micro-adjustment and no quick-release system. Inside, it’s the identical fashionable engine, the in-house calibre 7121, with its prolonged energy reserve of 55h, its quick-set date, its fashionable 4Hz frequency and an general extra strong development regardless of the plain thinness. One distinction (but it surely considerations all references 16202 produced since January 2023), the rotor is now gold-coloured and options AP’s emblem as an alternative of the Fiftieth-anniversary emblem.

What adjustments then? First, the fabric used for the case and bracelet, which now could be 18k white gold. Two penalties. The color is a bit hotter than stainless-steel and platinum, with a unique shine to the brushed and polished surfaces – we’re speaking minimal variations, in fact. Second, the load of the watch is considerably increased than the stainless-steel model, and never removed from the platinum mannequin. Aside from that, no variations.

So sure, this new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo 16202BC is all about its Tuscan dial. Or a dial that comes near the previous Tuscan dials, with out being a precise duplicate. The preliminary article we revealed utilizing the official photos already gave us a sneak peek on the texture, and the truth that it didn’t appear to be as irregular and man-made as the unique Nineties variations. Up shut with the precise watch, that is much more apparent. The previous, tough and imperfect (perceive charming) texture of the previous Tuscan watches has been changed by a extra fashionable look.

Audemars Piguet itself is obvious about this evolution, stating that the feel of the dial has been reworked to convey “a finer and brighter grain that performs with the sunshine in a different way.” The outcome doesn’t appear to be hand-hammered like up to now, however the results of a extra fashionable course of. There’s no denying the standard and the extent of element of this new Tuscan dial, nevertheless, the allure of the guide work is in some way gone, changed by one thing finer, barely colder and fewer wealthy in its render. It has a much less pronounced texture than up to now, but it retains the shine and reflectivity of the traditional Tuscan dial, having some iridescence in the best way it displays the sunshine.

The color discovered on this new 16202BC additionally reveals evolution. Identical to the metal mannequin, the blue color discovered right here (which isn’t Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50) is obtained because of a PVD course of, guaranteeing stability over time and consistency over your complete manufacturing. The blue tone is then coated with a translucent coating that accentuates the aid and brilliance of the dial – as you may see, this coating is skinny and doesn’t make the dial flat. The remainder of the dial is conventional, with utilized markers and arms fabricated from polished white gold after which full of luminous materials, a emblem printed in white at 12 o’clock and the utilized AP emblem at 6 o’clock. The two-hand show with date is retained too, with a tone-on-tone date disc.

What to consider this new tackle the Tuscan dial? Effectively, you’ve most likely understood from the outline above that the outcome was extra fashionable, much less irregular and thus barely much less charming than the dial discovered on a 14802PT. It in some way is sensible in fashionable manufacturing, figuring out that the 16202BC isn’t launched as a restricted version. Consistency within the texture and color is in some way anticipated.

Nonetheless, the result’s interesting and sits proper in between the traditional tapisserie sample and the (too) flat dial of the inexperienced platinum mannequin. It retains the traditional mixture of white steel over a blue face – one thing that could be a signature ingredient of the RO Jumbo – with some texture on the dial, but with out being one more petite tapisserie. And it makes this Tuscan model of the Jumbo unique, fairly discreet, completely different and fascinating. It’s a particular watch, as a result of it’s the one white gold model, and since its texture is nothing like the remainder of the present manufacturing. Essentially the most refined of all 16202 Jumbos, in case you ask me.

Availability & Worth

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Additional-Skinny 39mm 16202BC Tuscan dial is launched as a boutique unique mannequin, however not as a restricted version. As at all times, don’t count on the model to make this watch in giant portions, so availability can be troublesome. It’s priced at EUR 78,000 (together with taxes) or CHF 65,000 (earlier than taxes). For extra particulars, please go to audemarspiguet.com.