Audemars Piguet celebrates 150 years of watchmaking, as it brings a decade of bold experimentation to a close with the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5. The result is both a farewell performance and a signal of what comes next.

For the past ten years, the manufacturer’s Research & Development programme has been quietly reimagining the possibilities of contemporary watchmaking. From ultra-thin movements to acoustic breakthroughs, each release carried the sense of a laboratory experiment made wearable. Now, with the RD#5, the brand closes this chapter in a way that feels fittingly audacious, a “Jumbo” with a flyback chronograph and a flying tourbillon, housed in a case just 8.1mm thick.

Reinventing the Icon

The Royal Oak “Jumbo” is one of the most sacred shapes in horology. Gérald Genta’s 1972 sketch has become a blueprint collectors insist remain untouched. Introducing complications into that 39mm case has always been a challenge, yet Audemars Piguet has managed to execute it perfectly.

To achieve this, the team reimagined the chronograph’s architecture from the ground up. Conventional constructions were simply too thick. Instead, engineers created a layered design and used sapphire crystals hollowed on the inside to provide space for the hands and oscillating weight. The result is a subtle “glass box” effect that preserves the flat, architectural profile of the Jumbo while making room for the complexity within. The case is crafted from titanium and bulk metallic glass, an amorphous alloy that offers remarkable scratch resistance and structural integrity.

Refined at Every Touch

One of the most striking details of the RD#5 lies in its chronograph push-pieces. Giulio Papi, Director of Watchmaking Design, set out to address what he calls the ‘comfort deficit’ of modern chronographs. Typically, starting or stopping a chronograph requires a firm, almost heavy push, which can feel stiff and unrefined. The RD#5 changes that. With a newly patented mechanism developed in-house, the push-pieces bring back the crisp, responsive feel of mid-century chronographs, but without sacrificing modern day essentials like water resistance. 

Even the crown has been reconsidered. Instead of the traditional pull-out positions borrowed from pocket watches, the RD#5 introduces a function selector with a push-piece and indicator. Winding and time-setting are simplified, making the ritual of interaction as refined as the design itself.

Intricacy in Motion

The flying tourbillon, rotating without an upper bridge, reveals the regulating organ in full view. Paired with the flyback chronograph, which allows instant reset and restart, it brings not just theatre but real utility. The chronograph also features an instant-jump minute counter, a rare and energy-intensive complication that showcases just how meticulous the design is.

Driving it all is the Calibre 8100, a movement that took five years to develop. It had to accommodate not only the tourbillon and flyback system, but also the instant-jump counter, all within dimensions suited to the Jumbo case. The achievement lies not only in fitting it together, but in doing so without compromise.

The End of RD Era

The RD series has always been about controlled experimentation, with each watch serving as a research paper in miniature. With RD#5, Audemars Piguet is drawing that chapter to a close and opening another: AP Fabrication Laboratories. These new “Fab Labs” are designed to accelerate the pace of innovation, bringing together disciplines from materials science to decorative craft under one roof.

Where the RD series focused on specific technical frontiers, the Fab Labs will take a more holistic approach. Expect developments not only in movement design, but in ergonomics, aesthetics and the way watches integrate into daily life.

A Marker in Time

Only 150 pieces of the Royal Oak “Jumbo” RD#5 will be made. Each carries within it a decade of research into ergonomics, case design and movement architecture, distilled into a watch that feels as refined to use as it is to look at.

It is both a closing statement and a starting point. A reminder of what can be achieved when time is treated as a canvas for experimentation, and a sign that Audemars Piguet’s intends to make the next 150 years will be every bit as daring.