The Jumbo and the Sub... 1972 vs 2014.

[lmcgbaj]

In 1972, when the first AP Royal Oak (5402ST) was created, it was a very risky proposition for AP because the watch was stainless steel and costing more than gold timepieces that AP or other manufacturers were producing.

The price of the Royal Oak 5402ST was 3200 Swiss Francs (~3.6k USD). That was a lot of money back then for a Stainless Steel watch, especially when high end timepieces were supposed to be made of gold.

Back then, the closest competitor for a SS luxury sport watch was the Rolex Submariner, which retailed at 280 Swiss Francs (~320 USD).

So the Royal Oak Jumbo was 11 times more expensive that the Rolex Submariner.

Fast Forward to 2014

AP Royal Oak Jumbo 15202 which is the closest cousin of the original 5402ST retails at $22,700 USD while the Rolex Submariner retails at $8,550.00 USD.

The gap has closed to the point that the Sub is only 2.5 times more expensive than the Jumbo !!!

So, by the original proportion, an APRO Jumbo should have cost 94k USD or the Sub should cost 2k USD.

Food for thought. What is your take ?

Was the original APRO just overly expensive for its time and the Rolex just caught up with it?

Is the Sub overpriced? The current APRO under evaluated?