They Say Old is Gold but is it always ?
In the late 60’s and early 70’s the Swiss watch industry was about to enter dangerously choppy waters. The development of the more accurate battery powered quartz movement in japan heavily undermined the role of the mechanical watch. Combined with Seiko’s ability to mass produce these movements and reduce unit cost, the mechanical watch was almost carrying its belongings out of Switzerland in cardboard box. But instead, this is when the era of the stainless steel luxury sports watch began, and three brands in particular helped kick it off.
In 1972 after supposedly one night of designing, probably with a glass of whiskey or three, Gerald Genta and Audemars Piguet presented the very first Royal Oak: ref. 5402. This was the beginning of what we now know as the luxury sports watch. In 1976, four years later after having his Nautilus napkin design snubbed by Piaget, Genta’s first Nautilus was released by Patek Philippe: ref. 3700. It wasn't until 1977 when the Vacheron Constantin 222 became available, designed this time by German watch designer Jörg Hysek who wanted a slice of the Jumbo sports pie. These three watches became great icons and helped to create what we know today as the holy trinity.
They all housed the same movement, or their own variations of it. The revolutionary calibre-920 by Jaeger LeCoultre, the worlds thinnest self winding date driving movement ever. As thin as it was, it was also 29 mm wide and commanded larger case sizes, known as ‘Jumbo’s’.
The Royal Oak 5402 came in at 39 mm and housed calibre 2121, Audemars Piguet’s version of the JLC 920. The Nautilus 3700 was a whopping 42 mm, using calibre 28-255C, Patek Philippe’s version, and the 222 came in at a somewhat modest 37 mm compared to the other two. It used the calibre-1120, Vacheron Constantin’s version of the JLC movement. In all intents and purposes however, they were the same movements. They all had the same 40 hour power reserves and lacked a central sweeping seconds hand, an iconic feature of any Jumbo.
Once every day sports watches, these three iconic references have now grown delicate in their maturity, especially in the bracelet department, making them less of an every day option. The Royal Oak for example, carries a lot of bracelet bend (more than the others) because of its two small centre links. Having never handled an original 222, I cannot comment on this particular issue. I do however find that the 3700 succumbs less to this than perhaps expected, possibly because of its larger single centre links. In a precious metal it still carries significant heft and robustness allowing it to be worn to some extent as a contemporary sports watch, with condition of course being of upmost importance. As well as that, with watch cases getting larger again it seems as though the 3700 never really left at all. It ticks both boxes better than the others: the vintage icon and the wearable sports watch.
The collectability of these three icons varies significantly as they were all produced in different variations. A rule of thumb however is production numbers. The 222 had the shortest production run of only 8 years, and was produced just 500-700 times compared to the 5402 and 3700 being produced approximately 6000 and 5000 times respectively. Arguably this makes the 222 the most collectible, on paper. That being said, to see any of these in the flesh today is by any standards an uncommon sighting. One only purchases a 5402, 3700 or 222 at a certain point down their path in collecting watches (very far). It’s important to first understand the revolutionary effect that these three watches had in paving the way for the future of mechanical sports watches, especially the 5402. They act as a stamp of true enthusiasm amongst the most appreciative of collectors, separating them from those who simply clog up the waiting lists for a new watch.
The following 28 years after the inception of the Royal Oak saw Audemars Piguet produce the Jumbo references 14802 and 15002. Patek Philippe also released various references throughout this period, such as the 3800 and 3711. It wasn't until the very early 2000’s that the modern era of Jumbo sports watches from Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe began. The Royal Oak ref. 15202 and the Nautilus ref. 5711 were released in 1999/2000 and 2006 respectively.
These were the two watches that had the biggest impact on me, perhaps because they were the models in production when I become uncontrollably addicted. Either way they both balanced sports and elegance like a coin on a rolls Royce engine. Vacheron Constantin later released the 222 historiques in 2022 as a tasteful reinterpretation of its original 1977 icon.
The 15202 has the most impressively executed bracelet of the three in my opinion. I’ve always loved a firm and heavy duty bracelet, in this case its fixed with screws, fitted with with a twin release butterfly clasp and finished to the upmost highest standard. To me, as a modern upgrade from all its predecessors it proves infinitely better in its identity as a sports watch because it is more robust and much better at handling everyday wear and tear. The same goes for the Historiques 222. Constructed to a much higher standard than the original 222 with the addition of a butterfly clasp, it is often described by collectors as the most comfortable bracelet out there; a statement and a half. The 5711 on the other hand despite its excellence and elegance, is not without fault in the bracelet department. I may be signing myself up to a witch-hunt but on first impression I found the bracelet of the steel version underwhelming and delicate in comparison to its rivals. It also lacked the butterfly clasp and instead had the rather arduous clamshell which was caused me anxiety to operate.
While Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin kept their original case sizes, changing only minor details such as the bevelling, Patek Philippe changed the case size to 40.5 mm, which is the perfect middle ground in my opinion. Also changed was the movement. Gone was the original JLC 920 and in was the calibre-315 central seconds from the ref. 3711. This eventually progressed to the calibre-324 SC which sacrificed a small amount of power reserve in exchange for higher oscillations. The Historiques 222 also used an in-house movement: the calibre 2455 which brought higher precision. It is however worth noting that this came out much later than the other two, and more in line with the most recent of their additions.
That year was 2022. Both Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe also made changes to their icons. Out came the Royal Oak 16202, equipped with in-house calibre 7121 featuring a quickset date (finally) and keeping the monobloc case from 2017. The Nautilus 5811 also came bursting on to the scene in a 41 mm case and with the much needed butterfly clasp and extension link. These two now run along side the Historiques 222 as the latest and greatest offerings from the holy trinity. The present and future of the Jumbo’s are certainly in safe hands.