In 2025 there has been a sudden boom in the number of jump hour watches being released. The Fears Edwardian, Gerald Charles Maestro, Bremont Terra Nova Jump Hours and the Cartier Tank à Guichets. Today we’re focussing squarely on the latter (or should that be rectangle-ly), which we had the pleasure of getting hands-on with in Geneva. It’s a stunner of vintage revival design so let’s get straight to it.
As part of the Tank family, the Guichets can trace its heritage back to 1917, though the first Guichets itself came slightly later in 1928. The name translates from French as windows, a reference to the hour and minute windows in the brushed case of the watch. It’s a really distinctive design that means the watch essentially has no dial, as the case is all encompassing except for those two small apertures.
The case itself measures 37.6mm x 24.8mm x 6mm in a choice of two platinum ediitons, yellow gold or rose gold. The edition we photographed is the rose gold version, which you can tell from its slightly paler, less intense tone compared to the yellow gold. Plus, each of the standard versions that have their hour window at 12 o’clock directly above the minute scale have their scales matched to the colour of the strap in green, grey or red. The additional, limited edition platinum version has an off-centre, rotated display (kind of like a driving watch like the VC American) with a black strap but red scales.
On the wrist the Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets is nice and slim, especially in comparison to the new large Tank Louis Cartier that was released alongside it. A key aspect of that slimness comes from the fact that it’s powered by a manual movement so there’s no need to accommodate a bulky self-winding rotor. The movement is specifically the 9755 MC – as it’s a new movement some specs have yet to be fully revealed such as the power reserve, which is a bit frustrating for collectors.
However, arguably more important is the jumping hours function that makes the Guichets stand out. Jump hours use an instant change mechanism to move from hour to hour immediately as soon as the minute scale moves past 60. It’s a very intense system that puts a lot of strain on the calibre, which is why cheaper jump hour calibres often have shorter life spans than other types of movement. Cartier though have been developing the technology for close to 100 years, so if there’s any calibre you can trust, it should be this one.
For prices, the Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets is $47,700 in both gold versions, $55,500 in platinum or $61,000 for the 200 piece limited edition (approx. £40,870/£47,550/£52,250). Certainly a prestige watch, but also one of the coolest and most distinctive designs around, which is ironic considering it comes from 1928.
Price and Specs:
More details at Cartier.
