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Tennis player Serena Williams spotted wearing Audemars Piguet

Serena Williams was recently spotted on the wrist wearing one of the most coveted anniversary releases in contemporary horology: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' Extra-Thin in 18-carat yellow gold, reference 16202BA.OO.1240BA.01. Produced to mark the Royal Oak's 50th anniversary in 2022, the piece represents the Le Brassus manufacture's most deliberate nod to the original Gerald Genta design of 1972 — and the market has responded with a ferocity rarely seen outside the very top tier of watchmaking.

The 16202BA measures 39mm in diameter and a mere 8.1mm in height, proportions made possible by the ultra-thin Calibre 2121 movement ticking inside. That ébauche, derived from the legendary Jaeger-LeCoultre 920, oscillates at 19,800 vph and offers 40 hours of power reserve while sitting just 2.85mm tall — a mechanical achievement that remains extraordinary five decades after its introduction. The dial is finished in a smoked yellow-gold tone, its 'Petite Tapisserie' hobnail pattern catching light with the sharp geometry that has defined the Royal Oak aesthetic since its debut. Eight H-shaped white gold screws frame the integrated bracelet's octagonal bezel in the manner Genta originally sketched on a napkin.

Among collectors, the yellow gold 'Jumbo' occupies a singular position. The 16202BA is widely regarded as the purest distillation of the Royal Oak's original spirit — no date, no complications, no compromises. The 50th-anniversary edition in yellow gold is produced in strictly limited numbers, and its grey-market valuation of approximately $600,000 against a retail price of $69,700 tells a clear story about allocation scarcity and long-term desirability. Steel and white gold variants of the anniversary Jumbo command significant premiums too, but yellow gold historically anchors the collector hierarchy for this reference.

Serena Williams needs little introduction. Widely considered the greatest tennis player of the modern era, she retired in 2022 holding 23 Grand Slam singles titles — a record in the Open Era. Her taste in timepieces has long skewed toward statement-level fine watchmaking, and the 16202BA is precisely that: understated in silhouette, extraordinary in execution.

At retail, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' Extra-Thin ref. 16202BA lists at $69,700. On the secondary market, authenticated examples have traded well above $500,000, with some auction results pushing toward and past the $600,000 mark depending on condition and provenance. For a piece that debuted fifty years ago as a radical sports watch in steel, that trajectory is nothing short of remarkable.