Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo-Love It Or Hate It?

It is the very first series that is the most desirable to collectors, as you might have guessed therefore. The model shown here features an original “A” series dial, with the AP logo above the 6 o’clock, and reads “Swiss” below the 6 o’clock.
Inside the stainless steel case beats an ultra thin automatic caliber that was developed in conjunction with Jaeger-LeCoultre. Called the 920 by JLC and the 2121 by AP, this same movement was later used by Patek Philippe in its own Gerald Genta designed steel sport watch, the Nautilus. The watch we are featuring today was one of the first 1,000 of these game-changing Royal Oaks every innovated, as indicated by the serial number “A616” engraved into the solid caseback, produced in 1972.

What is perhaps the single most important feature of today’s replica watch though is the bracelet. This is because the Royal Oak Jumbo was one of the first best replica watches to ever feature an integrated bracelet, meaning it attaches directly to the case. Made by a Geneva manufacturer by the name of Gay Freres, the bracelets are known for being very thin and for their ability to be stretched.
You know a brand is onto something when it can elicit such emotive responses from its fans, be they positive or negative. Undoubtedly this piece will turn some seasoned collectors off but concurrently it will introduce a whole new legion of fans (and potentially) customers to the brand, which let’s face it, is precisely the point.

As seasoned AP fans will tell you, this is not the first time the brand has collaborated with a high-profile sports person to innovate a watch. For instance the Royal Oak Jumbo was launched late last year and the hugely popular Leo Messi special edition Royal Oak Chronograph came before that. So why then is the new LeBron James edition causing so much controversy?

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo featured a distinctive octagonal screwed bezel, inspired by a ship’s porthole, which was considered unusual to say the least. This was the birth of an entirely new type of luxury sports watch and one that was outrageously more expensive than any of its nearest competitors. Even more unthinkable though was the fact that the watch was made entirely out of stainless steel, and yet cost more than many of 18k gold watches Audemars Piguet were selling at the time.
What you may not know nevertheless was that the original 5402ST model was first introduced all the way back in 1972. Designed by Gerald Genta – one of the greatest designers of contemporary day watchmaking – the Royal Oak was the first sports watch of its type.

Following on from the original’s success a second series of 1000 Royal Oak “A” serial numbers was produced by Audemars Piguet replica watches before they progressed on to the “B” series, “C” series, and so on. It was a bold move – some even say a last ditch effort to stave off bankruptcy -and yet fast-forward 40-odd years and this ‘vision’ has helped Audemars Piguet become a power-house in the industry, creating an icon in the process. Had this first collection not performed so remarkably well nevertheless it could have been a very different outcome for the centuries-old brand.