Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15002

See Also: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin

The Royal Oak Ref. 15002 (called Extra-Thin or Jumbo) is a reissue of the original Royal Oak watch produced by Audemars Piguet in the 1990s.

Overview

The original Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, introduced in 1972, set a new standard for luxury. Only available in steel, it shocked the market with its luxury finishing and pricing as well as the large size. This earned it the nickname, "Jumbo", as the 39 mm case was much larger than competing watches. But that original Ref. 5402 was also extremely thin, measuring just 7 mm thick, and comfortable to wear thanks to the integrated steel bracelet. Although other models were introduced over the years, from the "Mid-Size" to the thick Offshore, demand for the original model remained strong.

In 1992, Audemars Piguet celebrated the launch of the Royal Oak with a "Jubilee" model, Ref. 14802. It had the same 39 mm case size but was thicker thanks to the addition of a display caseback. The company also produced an unlimited model, Ref. 15002 with a solid caseback and thinner dimensions. These were now available in gold but remained true to the original design of the Royal Oak. By now the case was no longer considered "Jumbo" so the nickname "Extra-Thin" began to take hold.

The Ref. 15202 was released in 2000, adding a display caseback to the existing Ref. 15002.