Tonight, Tim discusses the new for 2021 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo, the 15202PT.OO.1240PT.01. A 39mm ode to AP watch heritage, the new Royal Oak Jumbo is as crowd-pleasing as it is iterative. Later, we broach the topic of discussing the prices of our watches with friends, family, strangers, and other watch collectors; is there a right way to approach this often awkward business? Finally, Tim expresses his long held believe that luxury watches are fun to own but bad investments. All of this and watch collector wrist shots are featured on this episode of "Watches Tonight!"

The 2021 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo is here, and it's... extremely familiar.
As far as size, mechanical details, and appearance, this new AP Royal Oak is similar or identical to the Royal Oak Extra Thin watches that have come before. But new for 2021 is full platinum construction, a sunburst green dial, and exclusive distribution through "AP House" retailers in four major cities.

With a full platinum case, this 39mm Royal Oak Jumbo in green is a rarity; AP's full-platinum Jumbos have been scarce during the model's 49-year history. Moreover, Audemars Piguet watch designers have made the tough call to shelve the well-known but well-worn petite tapisserie hobnail dial, and the effect is spectacular. This Royal Oak 15202PT includes a rich green sunburst metallic dial with radial grain, white gold hour indices, and white gold hands. Only 100 examples of the green dial Royal Oak will be built in 2021, and distribution will take places exclusively through AP Houses (i.e., lounge - boutique factory stores) in New York, Bangkok, London, and Hong Kong.

Discussing the price of watches can be awkward, unwelcome, and inevitable for watch collectors. From family to friends to co-workers to strangers, third parties are wont to demand you disclose the price of your luxury watch. Aside from close friends and family, this can be a stressful and uncomfortable experience for those who prefer to enjoy their watches with discretion. Tonight, Tim discusses several approaches to defusing questions about watch prices that originate from unwanted sources. Whether deflecting a gawker or politely instructing an in-law to "step off," Tim has the right lines to keep questions about watch prices manageable in any company.

Finally, this episode of Watches Tonight explores the multifarious reasons that luxury watches are terrible investments. While fun to own and more durable than most consumer goods, watches generally represent mediocre vehicles for accumulating and protecting wealth. Despite sensational headlines covering exceptional auction results for vintage watches and celebrity owned watches, most luxury watches lose a tremendous amount of value after purchase, and very few ever recover the entirety of the purchasing power necessary to restore a collector's initial cash outlay.

Tim explores luxury watch depreciation, watch value compared to the performance of the S&P 500, and the effects of inflation as they relate to investment in watches. Moreover, Tim considers the reasons why collectors are advised to enjoy their watch purchases rather than treat them as investments. Luxury watches are fun to buy, own, and collect, but they should not be confused with stocks, bonds, or real estate.