BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
After last year’s release of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition watch, Audemars Piguet and Yoshida are back once again with a couple of new watches. Featuring diamond-studded Onyx dials, the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Yoshida watches attempt to provide a unique and unusual take on a classic watch.
Right off the bat, one can tell that the true highlight of these new watches is the onyx dial. While the lack of the signature Tapisserie pattern found on most Royal Oak’s does make these watches look a little austere, the deep and glossy black color of Onyx makes up for it by offering a rich and immersive visual experience. What further adds to the elegance and luxury quotient are the applied rose gold or white gold hour markers that have been fitted with 11 high-quality diamonds. The minute track has been printed in white to offer a nice contrast against the black background, and the date window at 3 also manages to blend well within the dial because of the color-matched date wheel. The hour and minute hands feature a familiar baton-style shape and have been filled with luminous paint for better low light visibility.
Although the dial on these new watches is a bit of a departure when compared to other Royal Oak offerings out there, the case maintains its familiar and iconic angular geometry. Crafted from either Platinum or 18k pink gold, the case is well proportioned. It measures 39mm in diameter and has a thickness of just 8.1mm, both of which combined would make this watch simply glide under those cuffs. The signature octagonal bezel with eight visible screws secures the sapphire crystal on the front and there is a screw-down case back with an exhibition glass on the rear.
At the helm of these new watches is the brand’s in-house caliber 2131. This is an ultra-thin automatic movement that comprises 247 components, is just 3.05mm thick, operates at 19,800 VPH, and offers an autonomy of around 40 hours. The movement has been beautifully decorated and features a 21k solid gold skeletonized rotor.
The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin watches would be available to purchase exclusively from Japanese watch retailer Yoshida. The Platinum version is limited to just 70 pieces whereas the Pink gold version is limited to just 30 pieces and will retail for USD 61,200.
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