My love for the Extra-Thin Royal Oak, known by most as the "Jumbo", is well documented. It was my very first truly high end watch and I really do believe it is both one of the great designs of 20th century watchmaking, and likely the most balanced wristwatch ever conceived. The way it sits on the wrist? Ugh. It's just so good. So, while the focus at AP this year was on the new 42mm Royal Oak Offshores, my personal highlight from the new releases was a new(ish) take on the Jumbo.

AP's openwork tactics are some of the finest around, and seldom do we see them applied to the Le Brassus manufacture's purest watch, the Jumbo. There were some limited edition, highly ornate skeleton Jumbos made in years past, and then in 2012, we saw a new take on an openworked Royal Oak, the limited edition 40th anniversary watch made in platinum. www.demowatches.net The watch was freaking awesome, and just 40 pieces were made. The only problem? It cost a literal fortune. It was around $141,000, if memory serves me correctly. Still, it doesn't get any more vintage AP than an openworked Jumbo and I always held that this is a watch they should produce in more approachable metals, in greater numbers. This year they did just that, with a new solid rose gold version of the extra thin Royal Oak Openworked.

From both sides of this new RO, you can see just how much handwork AP has put into skeletonizing the 2120 caliber, which, with a slate grey openwork treatment, is called the caliber 5122. The look of this watch is just spectacular. Of course, this watch retains the perfect dimensions of the 15202 Jumbo, so you're looking at a 39mm case that's just 8.04mm thick.

The new rose gold Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak will be made not in a limited edition, but certainly in limited quantities each year. Price will be $85,800 when it hits stores later this year. I can all but guarantee this one will be very difficult to get your hands on for some time, so if you're interested in it, I'd give a call to your local AD or boutique right now.