The New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked 16204
The second major release this week from Audemars Piguet is an all new Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked (Ref 16204) - And man, is it beautiful. The Royal Oak Openworked, historically, has been an industry darling. So Audemars has updated the watch with some more contemporary aesthetics and modern guts.
THE BASICS:
Brand: Audemars Piguet
Model: Royal Oak Openworked
Case Material: Stainless Steel or Red Gold
Case Size: 39mm x 8.1mm
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Movement: AP Calibre 7124
Movement Specs: Automatic, 28,800 VpH, 57-Hour Power Reserve
Strap Options: Matching Metal Bracelet
THE JUICE:
I’ll be transparent and say that the red gold Royal Oak Openworked has been an absolute grail of mine since as long as I can remember. So, it’s refreshing to see an updated and tasteful model that still channels the original in a way that is both respectful and fun.
There are two models in this release. The first is a low-key steel variant (Ref. 16204ST.OO.1240ST.01). The watch feels very Modern, features 324 hand finished components and rose gold accents that add a pop of color to the almost monochrome aesthetic of the watch. As is often the case with common tones from the case to the dial on skeletonized watches, this watch is careful to remain legible in the face of intense complexity and finishing. The red gold handset can still be picked out at a glance despite the many openworked bridges and dial plate.
The second watch in the new Openworked collection is a red gold variant (Ref. 16204OR.OO.1240OR.01).
Different than the steel model, the red gold is contrasted with a treated black dial to enhance the visual appeal. This makes the watch superbly legible (even more so over the steel), though I do feel that a little bit of the finishing gets lost with the darker palette - though that may not be a bad thing considering the high level of skeletonization on a flesh-ier toned metal.
Before we move onto the movement, I wanted to give kudos where they’re due. While I imagine this might be a bit divisive amongst enthusiasts, I find that the modern update to the dial of the Royal Oak Openworked is miles above its predecessor. Gone are the seemingly floating bridges. No more obviously disconnected components. Overall, the dial flows so much better than it used to, and despite the more visually open bridge-work, nothing gets lost among the clutter.
The Royal Oak Openworked gets some modern guts. The new 7124 movement is an Openworked variation of the all new 7121 found in the new Royal Oak Collection. The older generation (Ref. 2121) was skeletonized after-the-fact, while supposedly the 7124 was designed with the Openworked features in mind. This results on a lot less messy movement overall. The finishing features tons of angles, different finishing techniques ( CNC, EDM, and Hand-Finishing), and some modern upgrades.
Because it’s based on the new 7121 movement, the 7124 features a 4-Hz movement and 58-hours of power reserve over its predecessors 40-Hours.
I am extremely impressed with the new 16204 Royal Oak Openworked. While the previous generation was certainly beautiful, if not a bit messy, the new model improves on every aspect of the watch. It simply feels purposeful in execution. Bravo Audemars.
How Much is the Royal Oak Openworked 16204?
Price for the new model is… well, expensive, but arguably pretty fair. The steel model will come in at around $97,000 USD, while the Red Gold model will be priced at $127,000 USD.
You can read more about the watch at AudemarsPiguet.com
For more information and opinion on the new Audemars Piguet Releases, check out our podcast at The Windup Merchants below: