Audemars Piguet Just Reinvented The Chronograph With The New Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5

For over a century and a half, Audemars Piguet has challenged what watchmaking can be. Now, with the unveiling of the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5, the brand closes its Research and Development chapter with a flourish-  reimagining the chronograph for the future.

Since 2015, Audemars Piguet’s R&D division has released a series of experimental prototypes under the RD label. Each has sought to resolve a structural problem that had dogged haute horlogerie for generations. RD#1 reinvented acoustic performance with Supersonnerie gongs and cases. RD#2 collapsed the layers of the perpetual calendar on a single plane to achieve an unprecedented slimness. RD#3, launched for the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary in 2022, simultaneously delivered a high-amplitude escapement with a flying tourbillon in both a 37mm and 39mm case, resulting in the thinnest selfwinding flying tourbillon ever housed in a Jumbo case. And the RD#4 from 2023, the most complicated wristwatch ever produced by the brand, is a masterclass in combining multiple layers of complications without sacrificing ergonomics.

RD#5 began as a question: how do you create a complex watch that feels effortless on the wrist? To answer it, Audemars Piguet embarked on an intensive ergonomic study, engineering every detail of the movement, case, and design around the needs of today’s wearer. The result is not just one of the slimmest chronographs ever made, but a timepiece that marries high complication with intuitive comfort. 

At first glance, it’s unmistakably Royal Oak the iconic “Jumbo” silhouette, now reinterpreted in titanium and Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG), a material prized for its lightness, durability, and brilliance. But beneath its 39 mm frame lies an entirely new movement: the Calibre 8100. This in-house calibre represents a bold step forward, introducing a patented reset mechanism that rethinks a chronograph function unchanged for 150 years. By optimizing energy storage and release, the 8100 not only increases precision but also enhances the tactile feel of the chronograph. Push-pieces discreetly integrated into the case inspired by smartphone haptics offer a smoother, more responsive touch. It’s ergonomics you can feel, precision at your fingertips.

The RD#5 also refines the traditional chronograph display. A world-first in touch-sensitive pushers, an instantaneous jump minute counter, and a flying tourbillon all coexist within its ultra-thin case. Add to that Audemars Piguet’s signature “Petite Tapisserie” blue dial, silver-toned inner bezel, luminescent white gold hands and hour-markers, and the vintage-inspired Audemars Piguet signature at 12 o’clock, and the result is a watch that balances heritage with innovation.

Water-resistant to 20 metres, with a sapphire crystal and glareproofed caseback, this limited edition of just 150 pieces is as rare as it is remarkable. As Giulio Papi, Director of Watch Conception at Audemars Piguet, notes, RD#5 brings together “all the hallmarks of a refined chronograph.”

 The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 is not merely a celebratory anniversary piece. It is a redefinition of what a chronograph can be in the 21st century: tactile, intuitive, elegant, and ergonomically precise. By rewriting the chronograph’s architecture from the ground up, Audemars Piguet has made it feel as natural as tapping a smartphone, without compromising the visual and horological codes of the Jumbo. It is at once a celebration of the maison’s 150-year journey and a preview of its next chapter where complications feel as natural as time itself.