THE “JUMBO”: AN ICONIC DESIGN
For the first time in its 50-year history, the Royal Oak “Jumbo” is equipped with both a selfwinding chronograph and a flying tourbillon – a dual complication that posed significant challenges for the Audemars Piguet teams, given the model’s iconic proportions.
Introduced in 1972 and designed by Gérald Genta, the original Royal Oak earned the nickname “Jumbo” for its bold proportions, considered oversized for the time. Today, it is highly sought after by collectors and embodies perfect ergonomics with its 39 mm diameter and 8.1 mm thickness. These features make it the ideal candidate for this new development, where mechanics serve the design.
With user comfort and strict adherence to the line’s aesthetic codes in mind, Audemars Piguet’s Research & Development team has completely redesigned the chronograph’s construction to deliver unprecedented tactile finesse while minimizing the mechanism’s thickness. The result is a timepiece that unites technical complexity, ease of use and refined visual simplicity.
ERGONOMICS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
From the outset, the #RD5 project was led by a desire to create a chronograph that offers an elevated level of comfort. Its development was guided by a comprehensive ergonomic study – encompassing the movement, case and design – to identify user expectations and create tailored solutions to meet them. In keeping with the brand’s focus on innovation, this approach signals a new way of addressing both the client experience and the conception of complicated timepieces.
The first innovation lies in the push-pieces flanking the crown positioned at 3 o’clock. In a contemporary chronograph, these typically require significant pressure to engage. “Their travel – that is the distance they must be pressed – is often 1 mm or more and requires a force of around 1.5 kilograms,” explains Giulio Papi, Director of Watchmaking Design. “Our aim was to reduce these values to enhance the client experience, drawing inspiration from smartphone buttons which typically have a travel of 0.3 mm and require 300 grams of force.”
The concept of tactile comfort in chronograph push-pieces was already present in models from the 1950s and 60s, though required meticulous adjustment by artisans. With the arrival of water-resistant seals and the rise of industrialisation in the 1970s, however, the force required to activate chronograph push-pieces increased significantly. Today, Audemars Piguet’s innovation in this area serves to deliver its clientele a smoother user experience.
In addition, the RD#5 features a crown with a function selector that integrates a push-piece with a visual indicator for two positions – winding and time-setting. This easy-to-use and discreet selection system replaces the traditional crown inherited from pocket watches, while respecting the original aesthetics of the Royal Oak.
Finally, to preserve the finesse of the “Jumbo” while accommodating for its dual complication, Audemars Piguet’s engineers opted for the inclusion of sapphire crystals known as a ‘glass box’ on both the dial and caseback. While completely flat on the outside, the crystals are hollowed on the inside to create additional space for the rotation of the hands as well as for the movement and its oscillating weight.
CALIBRE 8100: A NEW CHRONOGRAPH ENERGY
For over 150 years, chronographs have evolved in form and function, yet their core reset mechanism – based on the traditional hammer and heart piece – has remained largely unchanged. With Calibre 8100, presented for the first time in RD#5, Audemars Piguet has entirely reimagined the zero-resetting system, introducing an integrated flyback chronograph that is more ergonomic, intuitive, and precise.
Engineered to meet the highest standards with the aim of creating a movement that serves both design and ergonomics, Calibre 8100 fits seamlessly within the “Jumbo” case and features generously sized symmetrical counters positioned at 9 and 3 o’clock for optimal legibility.
In-house engineers have developed a new, patented, mechanism that optimises energy from both the movement and the short-travel, low-force push-pieces. This innovation is based on a rack-and-pinion mechanism, designed to replace the conventional heart piece and hammer. By storing energy in the rack, this device keeps the gear train under tension and prevents the chronograph hand from shuddering while eliminating the need for the friction spring found in contemporary chronographs – a component acting as a constant break during operation and reset alike. The result is similar energy consumption, but the energy is now stored rather than dispersed.
Another challenge presented by traditional chronographs is the energy they require for resetting. To address this, the teams sought to develop a solution which would provide a smoother reset with reduced inertia. The energy stored in the rack can be released to return the chronograph hand to zero in a retrograde motion. By using titanium components, including the hand and chronograph wheel, the reset is instantaneous, requiring minimal energy. “Think of the traditional chronograph as a car driving with the handbrake on. With Calibre 8100, the handbrake is gone, and the car is now tied to an elastic band when it leaves the garage. This elastic band will then be used to bring it back to the garage. The energy that used to be lost due to friction of the handbrake is now stored within the elastic,” says Giulio Papi. “When resetting the chronograph, the stored energy is released, and the hand returns to its position in less than 0.15 seconds. A great deal of work has been carried out to understand the behaviour of the hands so that the reset is almost imperceptible to the eye, while delivering an instantaneous minute jump – a highly coveted feature by collectors.”
The new Calibre 8100 not only features a flying tourbillon but also introduces an innovative vertical clutch system. This design combines traditional and friction clutches, allowing the clutch wheel to move vertically, which reduces unnecessary rotations and limits jumps. The calibre also features a column wheel that ensures smooth operation of the start and stop functions. For resetting, a patented system stores energy until it reaches a tipping point, then releases it all at once, ensuring the hands return to zero quickly and with precision. On the back of the watch, Audemars Piguet's teams have developed a peripheral oscillating weight in platinum, reducing thickness and providing an unobstructed view of the movement's refined finishes, such as the hand-bevelled chronograph bridges, sharp inward angles, and satin finish. With a 72-hour power reserve, this robust chronograph easily adapts to modern lifestyles, including various sporting activities, without the risk of deregulating.
FIVE GENERATIONS OF HOROLOGICAL INNOVATION
Building on generations of innovation from Audemars Piguet's R&D department, the Royal Oak 'Jumbo' Extra-Thin Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 also incorporates the high amplitude flying tourbillon introduced in the RD#3 in 2022. This selfwinding flying tourbillon was completely redesigned to reduce its thickness while maintaining its original proportions. The team repositioned components and created a new escapement that drives the titanium cage peripherally, enhancing energy distribution and making it lighter and thinner. This new escapement works with an oscillator that tolerates higher amplitudes than a conventional escapement, reducing the backlash effect and improving reliability, energy management, and precision. Taking this innovation further, the Manufacture now combines this technical feat with its new ultra-thin chronograph calibre, marking an unprecedented double complication.
Since its inception in 2015, the RD series has provided structural solutions for some of Haute Horlogerie’s enduring challenges. The RD#1 set new acoustic standards, while the RD#2 in 2018 reinvented the ultra-thin perpetual calendar by consolidating its components on a single plane. In 2022, RD#3 introduced the ultra-thin selfwinding flying tourbillon, laying the foundation for the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 – the most complex and ergonomic wristwatch ever produced by the Manufacture. Today, with RD#5, Audemars Piguet has revolutionised chronograph ergonomics, a field that has seen little innovation for decades.
LIGHTNESS, STRENGTH AND A TOUCH OF “BLEU NUIT, NUAGE 50”
To enhance the slim profile of the model, Audemars Piguet teams opted to dress the case and integrated bracelet with innovative materials, combining the lightness of titanium with the resistance of precious BMG (Bulk Metallic Glass).
Discovered in the 1960s, BMGs are metallic alloys that, when rapidly cooled, take on properties similar to glass, such as high strength and an amorphous structure. Composed of over 50% palladium, Audemars Piguet’s proprietary BMG offers exceptional resistance to wear and corrosion, along with a distinctive reflective sheen. First introduced in 2021 with the unique Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin (ref. 15202XT) created for Only Watch, the material entered the collection in 2023.
For this limited edition, the bezel, push-pieces, crown function-selector and studs are crafted in BMG and finished with a mirror polish that reveals its brilliance. The caseback features a circular satin finish while the titanium case and bracelet links alternate between satin brushing and polished bevels to create a captivating play of light.
The signature Petite Tapisserie dial in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” reinforces the timepiece’s aesthetic sophistication, highlighted by rhodium-toned gold hour markers and luminescent hands in 18-carat white gold. The counters at 3 and 9 o’clock are rendered in the same blue with a snailed finish for enhanced legibility. The chronograph hands are made of titanium for added lightness.
Marking the brand’s 150th anniversary, the dial bears a special Audemars Piguet signature inspired by archival designs at the 12 o’clock position. On the caseback, “1 of 150 pieces” and the “150 Years” logo are engraved, underscoring the timepiece’s rarity and its blend of heritage and innovation.
CHRONOGRAPH: THE COMPLICATION OF PRECISION AND PERFORMANCE
The desire to measure and segment time predates watchmaking itself. Yet the invention of the chronograph, as we know it today, is the result of centuries of ingenuity and mechanical evolution. In 1776, Geneva watchmaker Jean-Moïse Pouzait created a watch with a seconds hand that could be stopped and restarted. In 1799, in England, Ralph Gout produced a pedometer watch designed to count horse strides during races. Then, in 1816, Louis Moinet introduced a tierce counter with start, stop, and reset functions. Five years later, in 1821, French watchmaker Nicolas-Mathieu Rieussec followed up with an invention that writes time, with ink measuring the intervals on a rotating dial. This gave birth to the word “chronograph”, from the Greek chronos (time) and graph (to write).
The first modern chronograph emerged in1862, when Nicole & Capt. – based in the Vallée de Joux and London – unveiled a pocket watch capable of displaying local time and measuring elapsed time via an independent hand controlled by a push-piece for start, stop, and reset. As society evolved and performance demands increased with industrialization and the democratization of sports, chronograph watches quickly gained popularity. In 1913, Longines launched one of the first chronograph wristwatches, designed for pilots to use during aerial missions. From that point on, the chronograph evolved from a tool of performance into a symbol of style and technical sophistication.
Audemars Piguet introduced its first chronograph wristwatches in the 1930s. Produced in extremely limited numbers – with just 307 pieces before 1980 – these timepieces are among the rarest in the world. At the time, each watch crafted by the Manufacture was a unique creation, with the concept of standardised models only introduced in the 1950s.
Drawing on this rich legacy, Audemars Piguet continues to craft timepieces at the forefront of innovation in technique, materials, and design. The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 embodies this spirit, reinventing the way this sportive complication is traditionally approached and setting the stage for the next 150 years.
Stay tuned for our immersive article coming soon on this exceptional timepiece!
