Display complication
What is a jumping hour watch?
A watch that shows the hour as a number in a window, which jumps instantly to the next hour on the hour.
How it works
Instead of an hour hand, a jumping hour has a disc printed with the numbers 1 to 12, seen through a window. A spring builds up energy through the hour and releases it at the top of the hour, so the number changes in an instant. Minutes are shown by a hand, a disc or a second window.
History
Jumping hours were popular in the 1920s and 30s Art Deco era, including Cartier's Tank à Guichets of 1928, and came back with Audemars Piguet and Gérald Genta in the 1990s. Today they're a niche, often playful complication.
Before you buy
Jumping hours range from affordable microbrand and quartz designs to high-end pieces. Check that the hour jumps cleanly and lines up in its window.
Jumping hour watches we've measured
- Christopher Ward C1 Jump Hour Mk V C01-39AJH4-S00B0-B1
39 mm case · 47.3 mm lug-to-lug · $3,295
Questions
- Is a jumping hour watch digital?
- It shows digits, but it's usually mechanical: the numbers are printed on a disc that a spring snaps forward each hour.