In the right hands, even the most intricate and historic watch movements can undergo a revitalization of sorts, a technique on full display as British tool watchmaker Bremont delivers its own spin on the jumping hour complication with the Bremont Terra Nova Jumping Hour in Steel.
The Bremont Terra Nova Jumping Hour serves as a modern tribute to the Jumping Hour montres à guichet complication, notably made famous in a version of the Cartier Tank Watch dating back to the 1920s (for the uninitiated, “montres à guichet” means “watch with a window”). As the company says, a series of “clean, minimalist apertures” mark the highly artistic, minimal watch in its present form, as hour and minute markers work with a sweeping seconds hand and an hour-jump reader that functions in as little as 1/10th of a second.
The dial design and the overall effect are meant to evoke a traditional compass, while the stainless steel variety joins an earlier bronze Jumping Hour watch from Bremont. Trench watch inspiration and old-school military pocket watches are paramount when considering the new 38mm timepiece, which is crafted throughout from polished and brushed 904L steel. As important as its ultra-clean watch face is what’s inside, and the company dialed in its precision with an all-new Jumping Hour calibre BC634 movement, an exclusive from Sellita.
Davide Cerrato, Bremont CEO, noted that client response to the bronze Jumping Hours debut spurred demand for another edition (it’s helpful that it’s also available on a handsome leather strap). Of the elegant yet tool-inspired watch, Cerrato says the success of the first edition “confirmed for us that our clients are not only hungry for more intriguing complications, but also for bold design statements,” adding that “we know this watch has the potential to become a future icon, standing alongside the Altitude MB.” To showcase the watch, Bremont worked with a series of rarified creatives and visionaries, including Michelin Star Chef Tomos Parry (shown above).
Unlike the limited-edition Bronze Jumping Hour timepiece, the new Jumping Hour in stainless steel ($5,100) and an additional chocolate box-stitch leather variation ($4,800) should remain in stock for some time. The watch is billed by the famed modern tool timepiece producer as a “a stylish, functional tool watch with a contemporary tribute to the past,” and if stylish looks could kill, then the latest from Bremont is a true wrist game stunner.
