This year marked the largest edition of Watches and Wonders, with 11 new brands bringing the total number of exhibitors to 66 at the industry’s premier showcase.
An additional highlight was the return of Audemars Piguet (AP) to the fair circuit for the first time since 2019, coinciding with the brand’s 150th anniversary. Literally and figuratively jumping back into the spotlight, AP has launched a new collection, beginning with the Neo Frame Jumping Hour.
A few years ago, I wrote about a modest acquisition and my fondness for “window watches” (guichets), noting the early signs of a contemporary revival of this distinctive vintage style among high-end watchmakers. Yet, while jumping hour watches have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, the complication itself is far from new for AP.
Occupying a place in the traditional “Holy Trinity” of Swiss haute horlogerie alongside Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, AP is distinguished by exceptional craftsmanship, deep provenance and the manufacture of complex, hand-finished movements. For many enthusiasts, however, the brand is most closely associated with the Royal Oak, designed by Gérald Genta in 1972. This is understandable, as the collection dominated AP’s output for decades until the 2019 debut of the Code 11.59 line, whose bold design initially proved somewhat polarising.
The jumping hour complication has an equally fascinating lineage. An early example was created in 1830 by French watchmaker Antoine Blondeau as a unique piece for King Louis Philippe I. The first patent for the complication was filed in 1883 by Austrian watchmaker Josef Pallweber, whose three-disc digital displayed hours, minutes, and seconds on rotating discs rather than with traditional hands. IWC was among the first major companies to industrialise the concept, producing Pallweber pocket watches in series and later revisiting the design with the elegant Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” in 2018.
In the post-World War 1 era, the idea retained a futuristic allure, particularly among designers influenced by le style moderne. The strong geometries and material sensibilities of the Art Deco movement translated beautifully into the “iron mask” dials of early jumping hour wristwatches. Drawing inspiration from the streamlined industrial design of the late Deco era — think aerodynamic locomotives and ocean liners — the model introduced by AP in 1921 was among the earliest jumping hour wristwatches and widely credited as the first produced by a major manufacturer.
This heure sautante (jumping hour) reference featured two digital display windows punctuating a solid rectangular brushed-metal case. Futuristic for their time, these watches were defined by polished metal faceplates with small apertures that allowed for a fleeting “digital” reading of hours and minutes.
Fast-forward to the present, and the genre has enjoyed a noticeable revival. With renewed interest in Art Deco design — especially as the movement approached its centenary in 2025 — several brands revisited their archives, sending a delightful crop of new window watches “jumping” onto the scene. Among them were the Cartier Tank à Guichets, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Nonantième “Enamel” with its moon phases and semi-jumping hour display, and the playful H Moser Pioneer Flying Hours. Chopard also entered the conversation with its LUC Quattro Spirit 25 jumping hour in ethical rose gold, distinguished by a striking green straw-marquetry dial.
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence offered a contemporary nod to the era’s montres à guichet. In this case, however, the watch features a “dragging” indication with smoothly rotating hour and minute discs rather than an instantaneous jump.
Against this historical backdrop, AP’s new Neo Frame Jumping Hour draws directly on the brand’s own archives. In 1929, the manufacturer produced the pre-reference model 1271 that now serves as the conceptual inspiration for the Neo Frame, blending Deco aesthetics with a distinctly contemporary execution. The two-tone case construction features 18ct pink-gold outer brancards with decorative architectural bands extending into aerodynamic lugs.
Taking centre stage is a black PVD-treated sapphire dial with dual gold-framed apertures for the hours and minutes, replacing the metal dials of vintage models. The open case back allows a glimpse of the mechanics inside. An embossed calfskin strap flows almost seamlessly from the case, reinforcing the watch’s sculptural presence. Notwithstanding its size – 47mm lug-to-lug by 34mm wide – the profile of this streamlined piece at only 8.8mm thick was a snug fit even on my slim wrist. Powering the watch is the Calibre 7122, AP’s first high-precision automatic jumping hour movement. Finished to the exacting standards of haute horlogerie, the movement delivers a 52-hour power reserve and ticks away at 4Hz.
For collectors drawn to the quiet theatre of the jumping hour, the Neo Frame is a reminder that some of watchmaking’s most futuristic ideas are, in fact, a century old. Priced at around R1.2m at audemarspiguet.com
Updated from the April issue of Wanted, 2026
