A few short months ago, I wrote about the resurgence of the jump hour complication, and its liberating effect on the potential design directions available to brands. It would seem that 2026 will continue to see that trend take root. Audemars Piguet opens their year with a selection of new references this week, helmed by the Neo Frame Jump Hour watch, setting a distinct tone that further distances itself from the likes of the Royal Oak by reaching deep into the brand’s vast history. Like the [RE]Master versions 1 and 2 of years past, the Neo Frame captures a unique moment in Audemars Piguet history, and provides a modern interpretation.
What I love about the aforementioned watches is their ability to shine a light on some lesser known chapters of history. Audemars Piguet is a brand with plenty of recognizable silhouettes, particularly in recent history, but one thing I don’t particularly associate with them is the jump hour complication. With the Neo Frame released today, we find a direct connection to a watch that dates to the 1920s called the Heure Sautante, a manually wound jump hour with a Guichets style design that was also employed by Cartier in the same era (and which has also been recently reinterpreted).
The Neo Frame represents a contemporary vision of the Heure Sautante placed within a decadent art deco style pink gold and black sapphire case measuring 34mm x 8.8mm The core elements remain, with a large hour aperture at the top of the dial, and a curved aperture at its opposite, with a stylish pointer worked into the design. Each is framed in pink gold, and placed within a DLC black treated sapphire to maximize contrast. The case itself makes itself known only on either side of the dial with a set of heavily stepped walls that taper into the lug. The effect is dramatic in a way that sets this design apart from other similar rectangular jump hour designs out there, all while serving as another nod to the style of the era that birthed it.
My only issue with the dial side aesthetic is the application of the Audemars Piguet logo at the bottom of the dial plate. It feels unnecessary in the context of what’s being achieved here. The Cartier Tank à Guichets has an air of confidence about it without the Cartier logo engraved on the dial plate, and I think a similar move here would have proven beneficial to AP.
The Neo Frame features Audemars Piguet’s first automatic jumping hour movement in the caliber 7122. The movement is visible through an exhibition back, and is not shaped to the case, but rather is traditionally round so perhaps we’ll see it make additional appearances in more form factors yet to come. This is a brand that has proven to have a surprisingly deep appetite for conceptual and creative thinking, which lays a deeper foundation beyond the Royal Oak alone.
Of course, there were plenty of new Royal Oak references released alongside the Neo Frame (which we’ll get to), but this is the watch that serves as more of a barometer for the brand’s aspirations. The Neo Frame is priced at $71,200. Audemars Piguet
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