Windows On Time: Cartier And Louis Vuitton Spearhead A New Era Of Guichet And Jump Hour Watches

In an era of openworked dials and mechanical exhibitionism, a quieter aesthetic is making its voice heard—the often-overlapping world of jump-hour watches and guichet designs, named after a French word for a small window, specifically the narrow slot of a ticket window. These two parallel styles distill time into the act of revelation through restraint and are reminders of the first de facto digital watches to appear a century ago. And by that, I mean literally, as in the time shown by numbers alone (look ma, no hands!), mechanically without the aid of an LCD screen or LEDs.

The jump hour was first patented by Josef Pallweber in 1883 and refined by brands like IWC and Audemars Piguet. The guichet style was immortalized by Cartier’s 1928 Tank à Guichets, pushing minimalism even further. The shape had a recognizable Tank silhouette but distilled into a solid gold ingot. A solid metal dial replaced the dial with two small windows cut into the gold, showing segments of rotating discs for the minutes and hours. This year Cartier’s reissue of the Tank à Guichets rekindled fascination with this visual language, after Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Convergence translated it into sleek modernity. Together, they have been spearheading a trend for these non-conforming watches that remind us that sometimes, the most compelling design is that which conceals its own genius.

Because they are so of the moment, we thought we could do a round-up of some of our favorites in this category at the moment, so without further ado—

Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence

Like many, I will admit to being skeptical of Louis Vuitton’s older horological output. But my gut instincts were flipped by the crazed grin of the golden Carpe Diem skull some years ago, and the new Tambour collection with its sleek integrated bracelet appeared on the radar of many collectors last year. For me, the minimal, soldered-lug Convergence is the top trumps from the La Fabrique du Temps, the brand’s Genevan Manufacture. 

Covered here on its launch in January, I have a big soft spot for its pebble-like polished front and the 12 o’clock twin time windows, and I admit to a top-guilty-pleasure list placement for the gemset version. Vuitton calls this a ‘dragging hours and minutes’ complication, as there are two large discs slowly rotating with a crisp blue font showing the time. The in-house automatic Caliber LFT MA01.01 powers the Convergence, beating at 4Hz and featuring 45 hours of power reserve, with a free-sprung balance. Would this inspire Cartier to revive its minimalist Tank?

More at Louis Vuitton.

Cartier Tank à Guichets

When the doors opened at the horological halls of the Palexpo in Geneva, my Cartier prediction came to life in the shape of three nuggets of gold. The Tank à Guichets came with its minimalist face rendered in brushed yellow gold, rose gold, or the stealthy hue of platinum, featuring a new 9755MC hand-wound caliber and a driver’s watch-style limited edition with an asymmetric display. I have admired the vintage version from the sidelines, acutely aware of its stratospheric rise on the auction scene, and this was a purist rebirth. 

As Mark explained in his launch story, the first models were made as one-offs for special clients throughout the 1930s, and haven’t been seen since a 2005 100-piece limited drop. This time, collectors have their choice, and I will admit I struggle to read the small numbers in the two windows, but it’s still on my grail list. The fully brushed, singular aesthetic of the front has a semi-industrial look that belies its precious metal cost, and the 37.6mm by 24.8mm Tank à Guichets is a dressy delight that will spark dozens of conversations.

More at Cartier.

Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25

When Chopard marked the 25th anniversary of its Manufacture in 2021, it did so with quiet confidence, introducing the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25, the brand’s first in-house jumping hour watch, a study in purity with a 40mm case, Grand Feu enamel dial, and the formidable L.U.C 98 calibre boasting eight days of autonomy. This month, we have been treated to a wild honeycomb-patterned celebration of métiers d’art as the story continues with the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Straw Marquetry Editions. 

With these two limited watches in 18-carat ethical yellow or white gold, Chopard offers a mesmerizing pattern applied from pieces of straw. This rare artisanal flourish has made the green version a GPHG nomination this year in the Artistic Crafts category. The jumping hour display and four-barrel Quattro architecture remain intact, providing a stage for Chopard’s quiet mastery.

More at Chopard.

Beda’a Eclipse

If some of you are already signing up for multiple new credit cards to add a window-endowed dial to your collection, there is hope. A few small brands have also embraced the challenge of showing time through windows rather than the limiting form factor of hands, and Beda’a is a great example. I talked to CEO and designer Sohaib Maghnam for a story back in August, and his Eclipse is now nominated as one of six watches in the Challenge category at the 2025 GPHG awards. 

Like the Chopard, it shows the hours in a window, here set at 12, but with a rotating disc rather than a jump hour feature. The minutes are shown through a sapphire outer ring by a small, distinct pointer, all encased in a big-lugged 37mm case. And at less than $5,000, this is an enticing option in direct competition with its evolved sibling, the Eclipse II.

More at Beda’a.

Bremont Terranova Jump Hour

Bremont is making headway with industry strongman Davide Cerrato at the stick, but a chunky slice of solid bronze with a jump hour complication in a Terranova case was a big surprise. The black-dialed 40.5mm steel version was quirky-cool with its central sweep-seconds hand, but my small-cased taste made me wish it came in a neat 36-38mm, as there is a lot of open space on the dial. The limited edition in 38mm patina-slowing cupro-aluminum bronze came with the same exclusive BC634AH jump-hour movement developed by Sellita and sold out instantly, offering a very different look. 

To me, the Terranova case looks like a beefed-up Rolex Viceroy, but with a brushed-metal front, it takes on a steampunk vibe all its own. This month, Bremont launched a steel production version, further adding to the collection. The vertically aligned three windows are cool, and the center seconds are a fun feature that offers a distinctive charm very different from Bremont’s usual fighter-pilot vibe.

More at Bremont.

Gerald Charles Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition

Celebrating the brand’s 25th anniversary, the Gerald Charles Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition offers more of Genta’s baroque case design, with the lightness of titanium, refining the Maison’s signature silhouette. It is a shape originally conceived by Gérald Genta, which Gerald Charles has made slimmer and sportier with the wild contrast of a tapisserie-pattern rubber strap.

The brand’s watches are charmingly polarizing with prominent personalities, and here GC goes all out, inspired by a 2005 Genta creation. It features an inner deep blue lapis dial and a main dial space alive with what GC calls Meta Guillochage, a chemical micro-engraving technique. Nothing about the Maestro GC39 is minimalist, and with a central minute hand and a jump-hour window at 12, it is not for everyone. But hey, we all need to embrace maximalism occasionally, and the Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition wears its heart brazenly on its sleeve.

More at Gerald Charles.

Chanel Monsieur

Chanel’s watchmaking prowess is usually attributed to its love of ceramic tech for bold sports watches, but the Monsieur is a very different beast that has highlighted a specific aesthetic from Chanel over its nearly decade-long presence. With a 40mm case, the big open dial space makes it wear big on the wrist, but the details framed by the 18K white gold case are, to me, worth every superfluous millimeter. It comes with a manual-wind 70-hour movement and has a suave opaline dial with a lot to unpack. 

Except for a quirky choice of descriptive text circling the edge from 5 to 3, the vertical composition is formally balanced, with retrograde minutes taking center stage at 12, small seconds snailing slightly below the middle, and a big window at 6. This is easily my favorite detail, as you would expect a demure cut-out, and it is everything but. A bold, octagonal frame is set in place by two visible, aligned screws, and a minimal-modern font fills the aperture with all the charm of the instantaneous snap at 12 for the next hour.

More at Chanel.

Closing Thoughts and a Question To Audemars Piguet

Jump hour and Guichet-style watch faces have always been with us in one form or another, even if this year sees a newfound trend. As a contrarian, I’m always happy to see something other than hands and indices showing the time, and I have a big question for AP. Back in 1996, Audemars Piguet made the ref. 25798, and during my research for this story, a Christie’s lot came up, showing a $138,000 result on a $30,000-50,000 estimate, and leaving me with a deep desire. 

The centre of the watch features a very close-to-Cartier vertical set of Guichets for hours and minutes, but the “John Schaeffer” trumps all others with its minute repeater feature. Just imagine if AP brought it back to life next year. The 1996 versions here sold at Christie’s exhibit its extraordinary blend of complications in a slim, unusual cushion case that measures a demure 33 mm wide and 40 mm overall length, drawing on the legacy of the original Schaeffer wristwatch that AP made in the early 20th century, with the owner’s name spelled out on the dial indices.