- Audemars Piguet has launched the Neo Frame Jumping Hour, a new jumping hour watch that represents the debut timepiece in an entirely new collection — titled the ‘Neo Frame’
- The Neo Frame Jumping Hour is among a series of novelties unveiled at AP Social Club in Switzerland, and is joined by the 150 Heritage, a pocket watch; a duo of perpetual calendars powered by the calibre 7139 within the Code 11.59 and Royal Oak; and the new calibre 6401 within the Royal Oak Chronograph, unveiled in stainless steel and rose gold
- It’s inspired by the art deco movement of the 1920s and 1930s and celebrates Audemars Piguet’s pioneering role in the development of the first jumping hours watches
- The Neo Frame Jumping Hour is priced at $56,300CHF (approx. $104,300AUD)
Audemars Piguet often cops flak for resting on the laurels of the Royal Oak (you might have heard of it…?), a remonstration it’s worked hard to course correct in recent years. That began with the launch of the ‘accessible’ Code 11.59 collection in 2019, a move that was loudly criticised at the time, however there’s no denying that the collection has found its feet of late. But while recent years have seen an emphasis on the iconic Gérald Genta-designed Royal Oak, pundits would be remiss to ignore Audemars Piguet’s heady back catalogue of vintage pieces, which is—argulably—the most varied of the holy trinity.
Set to fill an elegant-dress-watch-shaped-hole in its current lineup, Audemars Piguet has released the new Neo Frame Jumping Hour, a closed-dial timepiece with a jumping hour complication. The closed-dial aesthetic is closely associated with the jumping hour complication—though it’s not requisite—and has remerged on the scene of late, courtesy of the Cartier Tank à Guichets, Louis Vuitton Convergence, and Bremont Terra Nova Jumping Hour, each of which forgo a traditional dial layout in favour of closed front with guichet (window) apertures that reveal the hours and minutes.
That said, the Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour ups the ante in the finishing stakes. Inspired by an archival reference—the pre-model 1271 from 1929—the newcomer arrives in a rectangular 47.1mm x 34mm rose gold case, with its art deco lines informed by the zeitgeist of the 1930s. Its predecessor, the pre-model 1271 drew direct inspiration from the Streamline Moderne movement, a late sub-category within the wider art deco movement which emerged in the United States during the interwar period and sought a return to minimalism. The Streamline Moderne movement—also known as Pacquebot or Ocean Liner style— took its cues from the aerodynamic forms of trains and ships, resulting in sleek lines with rounded edges, executed in contemporary materials.
This subset of retrofuturistic modernity is translated into the Neo Frame Jumping Hour through a tired case with eight gadroons on each lateral side, which elegantly curve into elongated lugs that taper into a point at the end. While most of the Le Brassus manufacture’s contemporaries opt for a closed dial in the same metal as the case, Audemars Piguet has lent its jumping hour watch a unique aesthetic through the use of a black PVD-treated sapphire crystal dial. A rose-gold framed rectangular guichet at 12 o’clock displays the jumping hours and a curved guichet at 6 o’clock has the dragging minutes, with the ‘Audemars Piguet’ signature appearing below it. The Neo Frame Jumping Hour is presented on a textured leather strap secured with a rose gold ‘AP’ clasp.
The Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour is powered by the in-house calibre 7122, which was based on the 7121 found in the Royal Oak Jumbo, and is the manufacture’s first automatic jumping hour movement. Combining an instantaneous jumping hour function with trailing (or dragging) minutes, it offers a 52-hour power reserve and features a patented shock-absorbing system that mechanically prevents hour jumps in case of impact, as well as titanium construction for the hour disc to enhance shock resistance. It’s finished with Côtes de Genève and satin brushing, and has a fluted rotor, with the calibre 7122 visible through the exhibition caseback.
Most excitingly, the Neo Frame Jumping Hour is not just a covetable dress watch in its own right, but represents the inauguration of the ongoing Neo Frame collection that the Le Brassus manufacture plans to expand with future releases. If the Neo Frame Jumping Hour is anything to go by, we’re keen to see more from the line — a cocktail watch, perhaps?
The Neo Frame Jumping Hour is priced at $56,300CHF (approx. $104,300AUD) and is available upon enquiry via Audemars Piguet.
Price: $56,300CHF
Model: Neo Frame Jumping Hour (ref. 15245OR)
Case size: 34mm x 24.6mm
Movement: 7122 (automatic)
Water resistance: 2ATM
Functions: jumping hours, dragging minutes
Power reserve: 52 hours
Words by T. Angel
