Ahead of its much anticipated Watches & Wonders return, Audemars Piguet (AP) has reached deep into its archives for what in past years would have been a [RE]Master model. But now AP has renamed its vintage reissues, and it is the Neo Frame Jumping Hour that takes inspiration from a similar guichet model from 1929. This perfectly timed launch comes at a time of renewed interest in the digital display format.

Initial thoughts

Each time an established brand launches a completely new collection, the public response can be either positive (think Rolex Land-Dweller) or underwhelming. AP has come face-to-face with this in the past with the Code 11.59, which was bold but not well received initially (though much of the early criticism can be chalked up to cynicism).

That experience hasn’t stopped the brand from continuing to diversify its portfolio away from the Royal Oak, and the latest effort capitalises on the growing interest in guichet watches. In doing so, AP reimagines an obscure piece from its own past, adding strong touches of modern design to create something with a more distinctive visual identity than one might expect from a simple jumping hours watch.

Though the Neo Frame nomenclature might take a while to enter the vernacular, the guichet design feels like it’s coming to market at the right time. Ironically, the sleek profile of the Neo Frame’s case looks much like a sports smart band — albeit much glossier. Specifically, the way the polished black face connects with the strap is suggestive of certain activity trackers on the market.

Beyond the deceiving initial look, the Neo Frame case is clearly the result of a strong design effort. The angular piece has soft corners and tapered, short lugs with deep striations — a nod to Art Deco and the lavish 1920s aesthetic.

However, the watch face itself is the very opposite of excess, featuring only a discreet brand signature on the dial (that disappears at most angles) and apertures for the dragging minutes and jumping hours.

Though the case has a compact 32.6 mm by 34 mm footprint, it feels a little chunky for a retro design. The ergonomic slope of the lugs, however, give the New Frame good wearing comfort.

All in all, the Neo Frame is a strong first effort in what might evolve into a key pillar of the brand in the future. It’s arguably one of the most appealing watches of its kind and strengthens AP’s bench of new models.

Less is more

The Neo Frame’s glossy presentation is thanks to its shiny upper surface, achieved by PVD-coating a sapphire plate on its underside. This attractive but somewhat pretentious construction, which includes a metalised sapphire crystal screwed into the case, only allows for a meagre 20m of water resistance, but it is nonetheless a central, defining element of the design.

Interestingly, the sapphire crystal is not bordered at the six and 12 o’clock positions, adding a futuristic edge-to-edge look to an otherwise classic design.

The case hugs the crystal on each side with slender gadroon-like lines running from lug to lug. The specific design resembles historic guichet AP watches and is also a nod to the style of the Art Deco period.

There are only two apertures breaking the black surface — a deep, faceted square frame for the hours window and a semi-circular opening that reveals the minutes disc. The movement offers true jumping hours functionality, as opposed to a dragging hours, which improves legibility and helps the Neo Frame live up to AP’s reputation.

Interestingly, the Neo Frame does not strap to the wrist with normal lugs. Instead, the black textured calfskin leather strap, which features a rubber-like surface texture, extends over the lugs and connects with the case body, contributing to the modernist impression.

Vintage looks, modern engine

The jumping hours functionality is powered by Audemars Piguet’s cal. 7122. Derived from the thin automatic cal. 7121 inside the Royal Oak “Jumbo” ref. 16202, the new movement replaces traditional hands with a rolling minutes display and the headline jumping hours mechanism, which features a patented shock resistance system.

In most jumping hours complications, the hours disc is usually indexed and kept in place by a blade spring. The spring needs to be both strong enough to ensure the disc is indexed securely but also sufficiently compliant so that the changeover is crisp and reasonably energy efficient. A spring that is too compliant (compliance being the numerical inverse of stiffness) is naturally prone to be upset by well-timed shocks, so it is good to see AP actively improving an already mature mechanism.

The hours disc is made from titanium, while the rolling minutes disc is made from aluminum. These decision makes sense since the running minutes disc is a continuous load on the movement, so lightness is of the essence. For the isolated jumping disc, AP deemed material strength more important than maximum lightness, hence the choice of still-lightweight titanium alloy.

Otherwise, the cal. 7122 shares the same core architecture with the sophisticated and elegant cal. 7121. Beyond the clean finishing and tidy looks, the movement has some interesting and unorthodox features. For one thing, the barrel is secured by a gold bridge, as is the free-sprung aerodynamic balance with inset inertia blocks.

There are also ruby liners to ensure the stability of the barrel click wheel, and the flat hairspring is pinned to its own finger bridge. The slim movement runs for 52 hours at a modern 4 Hz pace, suggesting that barely any concessions were made in terms of chronometry.

Key specs and price

Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour
Ref. 15245OR.OO.D206VE.01

Size: 32.6 x 34 mm
Height: 8.8 mm
Material: 18K pink gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 20 m

Movement: Calibre 7122
Features: Jump hours, minutes
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 52 hours

Strap: Calfskin leather textured strap with matching pin buckle

Limited edition: No
Availability: Directly from Audemars Piguet
Price: CHF56,300 excluding taxes

For more, visit audemarspiguet.com.