2025 has been a year of unexpected trends in watchmaking. One of the most prominent has been the proliferation of stone dials with new examples from Christopher Ward and Nivada Grenchen last week alone. However, arguably the more horologically interesting trend has been the number of jumping hour watches we’ve seen. Earlier this year Bremont caused a stir with the Terra Nova Jumping Hour and now they’ve released a second edition in steel.
What makes it so distinctive is its ‘Montre à Guichet’ display. Guichet in French translates to ticket window, as in the style of ticket office you might find in a train station and is a reference to the small window that displays the hours at 12 o’clock. A style popularised by the Cartier Guichets. That window on the Bremont is joined by windows for minutes at 6 o’clock and central small seconds. The major update with this edition is that the 38mm case and face are made from 904L steel.
The swap from bronze to steel is one that makes sense, though it does sacrifice the warm, retro vibe of the original for more of a utilitarian look. But that utility is backed up by the fact that steel is much harder than bronze, making this edition more scratch resistant. Which is very relevant because guichets style displays are more prone to scratches than virtually any other watch simply by dint of having more metal surfaces that can be scratched. Given that the collection is inspired by the aesthetic of trench watches, increasing its ruggedness is a salient decision – though they would need to increase the water resistance beyond 30m for it to really start to feel like an adventurous watch.
Inside the Terra Nova Jumping Hour Steel is the BC634 automatic, made for Bremont by Sellita. It has a 56-hour power reserve and is fitted with an Anachron balance spring and Nivaflex mainspring. It’s a pretty solid movement and helps justify the price tag, which is £4,200 on strap and £4,450 on bracelet. Another important distinction is that while the bronze edition was a limited edition, this is not, meaning if you missed out originally now is your chance to pick one up.
Price and Specs:
More details at Bremont.
