What Is a Jump Hour Watch?

Since you were a child, you’ve been reading time the same way. Today, all that might change as we explore “What is a jump hour watch?”.

Whether you like to admit it or not, you probably take your watch for granted every day. Watches have been telling time in a very familiar way for centuries. But it hasn’t always been like that. There’s more than one way to tell the time. (Sundials anyone?)

In this article, we’re going to explore the question, “What is a jump hour watch?”.  To do that, we have to hop back in time!

The History of the Jump Hour

Jump hour watches rose to fame in the early 20th century but were around before then. Early examples of these digital displays point to Ferdinand Adolph Lange back in the 19th century. He went on to create A. Lange & Söhne’s oversized date window. 

The truth is that the origins of the complication are still unknown. Many believe the first to master the jump hour was an Austrian engineer named Josef Pallweber. Others believe it was the French watchmaker Blondeau.

IWC Schaffhausen also helped to commercialize the concept. The brand specializes in mass-producing watches with jumping hours.

By the way, when I refer to digital watches, I’m talking about rotating hour discs used instead of hands. By no means should you confuse these with the digital watches of the 1970s!

As more and more companies began focusing on chronometer accuracy, the jump hour wristwatch fizzled out. It would be another 30 years before Jump Hour watches would return.

The complications became popular during the Deco era, making a comeback in the 1920s and 30s. During this time, diversity among designs became apparent. Cartier, Rolex, and Audemars Piguet all produced models with digital displays for the minutes and hours.

Patek Philippe, however, presented its version with a digital jump hour display and a traditional minutes hand.

How Do You Read a Jump Hour Watch?

You expect your watch to present the hours, minutes, and seconds separately. In fact, it’s easy to forget that there are other complications out there. The jumping hour watch is one example. These timepieces take their name from their design. But how do you read a jump hour watch?

It’s quite easy to read the jump hour watch. The hour presents itself in a digital format that literally “jumps” to display the next hour at the turn of each sixtieth minute. The minutes usually feature via a central hand. 

In other designs, they display themselves as a second aperture. Although complex, this design of the watch opens up endless possibilities for the most experienced independent watchmakers in the industry.

How Does a Jump Hour Watch Work?

So, how does a jump hour watch work? Well, theoretically, telling the time is easier by the use of a jump hour movement. This alternative option to the conventional time display works via a specialized mechanism comprising springs, levers, and gears.

At the start of each day, a series of things happen behind the scenes. The hour function perfectly synchronizes with the minutes and seconds mechanism.

It undergoes an instantaneous jump to the next hour. It does this at the precise time a conventional watch would show movement in the hour hand after the minute hand reaches its sixtieth rotation.

Stored mechanical energy causes the jumping movement in the hour aperture to change digits. At the very center of this mechanism is a snail cam that controls the jumping of the disc. Of course, to maintain accuracy, the synchronization between the minutes and the hour jump is crucial.

The intimacy between the two demonstrates the level of craftsmanship and skill required in manufacturing this complication.

What Is a Wandering Hour Watch?

If a jumping hour “jumps”, then what is a wandering hour watch, you ask? To answer that question fully, we need to unpack it a little further.

The wandering hour watch swaps the traditional minutes for something altogether more unique. The watch’s digital-analog display is entirely mechanical, much like the jump hour complication. In fact, you can’t get much further away from the mechanical watch while still being one.

The wandering hour has been around for a few hundred years. It dates back to the 18th Century — even before the first jump hour pocket watch.

Its complexity and beauty have made a mark on the history of watchmaking. It is better to observe the wandering hour mechanism when the hour turns. 

What you need to know is that the minute track represents the hour. The minute scale presents itself across a third of the dial while the numeral representing the hour travels along it. The hour number points to the relevant minutes of that hour.

Traditional examples of the wandering hour watch expose the complication’s entire three discs, each one with four allocated hours numerals.

What Is a Jump Hour Watch? Some Cool Examples

Here are some excellent jump-hour watches currently on the market. 

The A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Ref 142.031

The Zeitwerk watch by A. Lange & Sohne marks the brand’s first mechanical wristwatch with jumping numerals. One of its key elements is the fascinating time bridge.

This model is an exquisite 18ct rose gold design with a black dial and crisp apertures. The 9 o’clock window displays the hours, ready to jump, when the opposite minute scale displayed reaches 60. Additionally, this elaborately crafted jump hour watch features a power reserve at 12 and small seconds at 6 o’clock.

Vacheron Constantin Le Collectionneurs Jump Hour Watch Ref 43040

Vacheron Constantin, one of the oldest watchmakers but a master in complications, excels at the jump hour. This Le Collectionneurs model boasts a super slim movement depth of 2.45mm.

The 18kt yellow gold case provides ample protection over the Caliber 1120. It features an annular beryllium balance, a flat balance spring, and inertia blocks.

Classic as ever, this is a perfect statement for wearing with evening attire. Its palatable ivory dial features the jump hour at 12, while a traditional brown leather band finishes the design perfectly.

Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Watch Ref 161977-5001

If you’re looking for something ultra-sophisticated, Chopard does a great jump-hour watch. The L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 is a 25th-anniversary edition, limited to 100 pieces. The brand crafts this remarkable design from 18kt rose gold, boasting a minimalist dial. A printed black 0-55 minute scale surrounds the jump hour feature at 6 o’clock.

This Chopard jump hour watch also features a central rose gold-colored minute hand propelled by an in-house movement. The hand-wound movement has four barrels, granting it an autonomy of eight days.

FEARS x Christopher Ward Alliance 01

This jump-hour watch, made in collaboration with FEARS and Christopher Ward, is highly exclusive. Just 50 are available worldwide. The contemporary watch is available to Club members of the Alliance of British Watch & Clockmakers. 

It features a 40.5mm stainless steel case and a deep red display. Expert finishing from artisans at FEARS allows for a comfortable yet unique design.

The Alliance 01 slips under the cuff of a shirt with a slim case depth, showcasing the famous complication at 12 o’clock. The in-house JJ01 jumping hour module marries beautifully with the “Edwin” typeface and a classic central minute hand.

Jump Watches Feature a Truly Unique Complication 

Although it’s not for everyone, the jump hour introduces a whole new way to read the time. One thing the complication does add in spades is intrigue and allure. 

Crafting a movement that can display the time without hands has been a big draw for avid watch collectors. Indeed, there is a reason why this complication has survived for over an entire century.

The jump hour watch has challenged manufacturers like A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet to their max. Never has it deterred them, though. And despite the arrival of solar-powered, quartz, and smartwatch technology, the complication still exists. 

New waves of independent watchmakers are also adopting traditional methods of manufacture like the jump hour.

The fact that the jump hour watch hasn’t been oversold makes it all the more desirable. Only a handful of experts offer the complication, adding to its scarcity.

Whether the jump hour watch is for you or not, you can’t deny its compelling and charismatic nature. In defiance of this age-old time-telling process, watching the hours change with this complication is nothing short of fascinating.

So, you wanted to know, “What is a jump hour watch?” now you know!

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