Audemars Piguet: Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Ref.15202ST

THE BULL, THE BEAR, THE JUMBO AND THE PASSION THAT MUST BE RESUMED

Look at that smart guy Mengoli tackling Audemars Piguet‘s “Jumbo“! Obviously it is one of the most resplendent icons in the history of mechanical wrist watchmaking, and for this very reason everyone has talked about it to the point of exhaustion. So “come on, someone will say, he could have dared more, also because in his introduction message to his Watch Insanity friends he promised that ‘we will see things that you people…’ ” 

Don’t worry, I won’t let you down. So here I am writing about the legendary Royal Oak Ref. 15202ST made of steel, and its equally legendary Caliber 2121 – movement designed by Jaeger-LeCoultre, exclusive to the brand owned by Le Brassus since a long time – to extend the question to another. In addition to enjoying, inevitably, like all connoisseurs, these evocative images of the details that, from 1972 to the present day, made it one the industry’s definitive benchmarks – thanks to the enlightened vision of its brilliant designer Gerald Genta.

Having said that, and having paid the legitimate tribute to the highly original octagonal bezel, the hypnotic “Tapisserie” dial and the simply crazy integrated bracelet, it is worth dwelling on the economic trend of the “Jumbo” (a nickname due to the extra-large size for the 1970s of its 39mm case) to get to a more general discourse straddling both speculation and fatalism, financial investment–the reason for the stock market symbols of the bull and the bear in the title above–and passion.

Let me explain myself. I’m old enough to remember when the most important Italian Audemars Piguet dealers snubbed it by advising customers–with sincere good faith it must be said–to opt for the more complicated chronograph or the Offshore, also depending on the best possibility to maintain value over time. And in those years, in fact, the dealers were right because I myself have a friend who, about ten years ago, sold his 15202 for 7,000 euros! In fact, at the time, it was considered a beautiful watch but intended for a niche of connoisseurs. And if you got tired of it and wanted to move on to something else, that meant a bloodshed for your wallet. Saying this now sounds like science fiction since we are talking about one of the most sought-after references in the world, with stratospheric evaluations on the vintage and zero-kilometer market. However, that’s how the history of watchmaking and of the world in general goes: it evolves as it pleases.

So what considerations are to be made for those who wish to try their hand at a field that doesn’t offer basic necessities like ours? That the choice of the high-end watch to wear on your wrist must be made in the first instance, after a careful study of the market or out of love at first sight, with the heart and without the obsession of getting a deal at all costs. Then, if we are lucky or far-sighted we can fall within the narrow circle of those who have in their collection watches that gained value over time (let’s be clear: over ten or twenty years or more, not three months), even against all odds–as for the lucky enthusiast who at the time won my friend’s “Jumbo” for 7,000 euros, which is currently listed at 28,200 euros and at a much higher actual price due to its rare availability.

“In life you win and you lose,” my friend answers with a smile thinking about that sale. Considering that tomorrow, probably, the same fate made of sensational and unpredictable success will fall to another brand’s model, a model that might perhaps be difficult to sell today even with a major discount.

All this holds a substantial advantage. If the choice comes from the heart and not only from the wallet, even if in a few years the sublime “Jumbo” will be available again, for a strange twist of fate, for 7 thousand euros, you can always enjoy it on your wrist in the meantime, contemplating the fact that money passes but the beauty of certain objects remains forever. While, just to say, bank investments–ironically or for a devilish twist of the financial market–are very often much worse than a rare mechanical watch. And besides, as to add insult to injury, with finance you can’t even console yourself by looking at something beautiful on your wrist, while you will probably get even more angry at your financial promoter’s embarrassed explanations.

In short, let’s enjoy the beauty because life tends to give us the ugly with a periodic regularity that, even though it comes from a Chinese virus, seems Swiss!

By Michele Mengoli