Brand
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' Extra Thin Ref. 15202ST
The pride and joy of watch collections around the world, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is the definitive luxury sport watch. We won't bore you with all the details surrounding its genesis at the hands of Gérald Genta in 1972, but if there's one thing to take away from its origin, it's this: Often imitated, never duplicated, there's nothing quite like a Royal Oak on the wrist. It's even fair to say that the popularity of the Royal Oak – distributed equally among enthusiast circles and the Jet Set – kickstarted the integrated stainless steel sport watch trend that's taken over 21st century watch design.
The name "Royal Oak" came from a historical tree in England where King Charles II hid from Cromwell’s army in 1651. That tree ended up saving King Charles’s life and became a historic political English symbol. The name was applied to no fewer than four British naval ships between 1769 and 1914, which is where the wristwatch comes into play. The octagonal bezel was inspired by the porthole of a naval ship, hence the name Royal Oak. Additionally, Audemars Piguet liked the name because of its "royal prestige and longevity."
The original Royal Oak, the ref. 5402, was penned by the legendary watch designer Gérald Genta. The full stainless steel version was first introduced at Baselworld in 1972 and shocked the world as the first watch marketed as a luxury sport watch. The notion of a luxury sport watch was a completely new idea was considered outrageous. Genta himself remarked, "The priceless sports watch is a new concept that we invented together with Audemars Piguet. When the Royal Oak was released, it was sold for 3,750 Swiss Francs, retail price. At the time, the most expensive steel watch cost 850 Swiss Francs! That was something utterly inconceivable." Several years later, from the mid-to-late 1970s, the two-tone and the full-gold versions were released. Until then, the concept of a "luxury watch" and a "sport watch" were diametrically opposed, but Mr. Genta melded the two concepts together effortlessly, and the rest is history.
In 1992, AP released the reference 14802 with sapphire crystal caseback in a limited series of 1,000 pieces total, for the Jumbo ref. 5402's 20th anniversary. There were 700 in steel (with blue or pink tapisserie dial), 280 in yellow gold (with ardoise, gilt, white, or ivory tapisserie dials), and 20 in platinum (with dark blue or Tuscany blue tapisserie dials, the former with diamond indexes). The 1992 anniversary ref. 14802 was sold all the way up until the year 2000.
Then, 12 years later in 2012 for the Royal Oak's 40th anniversary, the 15202 was released in steel and rose gold, with the same ultra-thin case proportions (39mm in diameter x 7mm thick), same caliber 2121 movement, and AP logo back at six o'clock.
In March of 2021, just months after Patek Philippe sunsetted the ref. 5711/1A with a blue dial, AP's CEO Francois Bennahmias announced that the ref. 15202ST "will be replaced by something else" in 2022.
This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is in overall excellent pre-owned condition, which indicates that there are signs of very light wear, possibly some small scratches on the case or bracelet. During our quality control check, any necessary adjustments are made to ensure the watch is functioning as intended. The dial is in excellent condition. The caseback is marked with the serial number "J78XXX."
The dial, crown, movement, caseback, and bracelet are all signed by Audemars Piguet. The watch is delivered with the original Audemars Piguet box, papers, and manuals.
Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet founded Audemars, Piguet et Cie, in 1875. To this day, members of the two families remain on the Audemars Piguet board of directors, making the brand one of the oldest family-run companies in the entire Swiss watch industry. Located in Le Brassus, Switzerland, since its inception, Audemars Piguet is considered one of Swiss watchmaking's Holy Trinity and is one of the most popular brands in all of contemporary watch collecting. The designer Gérald Genta created the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet in 1972, and today, the classic sport watch with an integrated bracelet has become one of the most collectible watches from any brand.
