Hands On with Audemars Piguet’s Jumbo Royal Oaks in Yellow Gold and Bulk Metallic Glass

The relative thinness of both watches (again, talking about the Jumbo sizing for the Royal Oak: 39mm by 8.1mm – I nearly refuse to acknowledge a two-hand model in any other size) made me a convert to the idea that thinness and balance are one of the greatest marks of luxury watchmaking. Yet, it took a trip to the brutally beautiful landscape of the Vallée de Joux to “get” the design. It’s also a watch so iconic that, in theory, it should be relatively hard to iterate on without taking it too far from what people know and love. And yet, somehow, Audemars Piguet finds a way to do so, and time after time, I’m a fan.