The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Further-Skinny Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 (Ref. 26545XT.OO.1240XT.01) was unveiled in October 2025 as the ultimate timepiece within the model’s Analysis and Growth (RD) sequence.
Launched to coincide with Audemars Piguet’s one hundred and fiftieth anniversary, the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Further-Skinny Self-Winding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 is a limited-edition mannequin that redefines the normal chronograph mechanism whereas preserving the basic 39 mm x 8.1 mm Royal Oak “Jumbo” aesthetic and proportions. The case is constructed from light-weight titanium, whereas the bezel, pushers, and hyperlinks within the bracelet are crafted from Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG), a sturdy, scratch-resistant palladium-based alloy.
The “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” dial encompasses a Petite Tapisserie sample with two sunken chronograph sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock, trimmed with metallic rings, with a flying tourbillon seen by an aperture at 6 o’clock. The dial options 18K white gold luminescent bathtub palms and hour-markers, a silver grey-toned interior bezel, and the “Audemars Piguet” signature impressed by historic paperwork at 12 o’clock. A function-selector crown replaces the normal pull-out stem for winding and setting the time.
Inside is the brand new caliber 8100, a 3Hz automated flyback chronograph with a flying tourbillon. The chronograph reset mechanism makes use of an modern rack-and-pinion system that replaces the normal hammer-and-cam structure, leading to pushers that require considerably much less power to function. This permits for an exceptionally mild and easy pusher really feel, much like that of a smartphone button, based on Audemars Piguet.
The 44-jewel, 379-component, automated chronograph motion resembles a hand-wound motion, because of a slim peripheral rotor that routinely powers the watch’s 72-hour energy reserve, primarily based on movement in the identical method a traditonal rotor does. The design additionally allowed Giulio Papi and his growth staff to suit a flyback chronograph and flying tourbillon in a svelte 31.4 mm x 4 mm footprint. This chronograph, which makes use of a column wheel and redesigned vertical clutch system, encompasses a extra ergonomic and exact chronograph reset/flyback perform, and likewise provides an instantaneous chronograph minute change.
The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Further-Skinny Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 (Ref. 26545XT.OO.1240XT.01) will not be technically thought-about water resistant, with a ranking of simply 20 meters. The Royal Oak RD#5 one hundred and fiftieth Anniversary is proscribed to a run of 150 individually numbered items and is accessible solely by Audemars Piguet boutiques for round $325,000 (CHF 260,000).
Images by Audemars Piguet.
