Audemars Piguet’s Coolest Watch In Years Is Also Its Quietest

There are watches that launch with fireworks, grace celebrity wrists, and earn endless superlatives. Then there are watches like this. Audemars Piguet’s new Jumping Hour Neo Frame feels like the brand stepping sideways rather than forward, and that is exactly why it works.

It’s part Catier, part Jaeger-LeCoultre, and oh-so-chic.

At first glance, it barely registers as modern AP. The rectangular case in 18-carat pink gold nods heavily to Streamline-era design, with soft geometry and proportions that feel considered rather than aggressive.

At 34mm and just 8.8mm thick, this is a watch that wears with confidence instead of volume. In an era where luxury often shouts, this one speaks under its breath.

The real story sits beneath the sapphire. This is the first time Audemars Piguet has introduced a selfwinding jumping hour movement, the new Calibre 7122. Jumping hour displays are one of those complications that instantly separate the curious from the casual. They are not immediately legible, they reward patience, and they tend to attract people who enjoy explaining how their watch works rather than posting it. Here, the hours jump crisply through a pink gold aperture, paired with a subtle minute display that keeps the dial clean and architectural.

That dial is another quiet flex. Made from black PVD-treated sapphire, it plays with depth and transparency without leaning into skeleton theatrics. Pink gold microblasted apertures catch the light just enough to remind you this is a precious object, not a design exercise. It is restrained, slightly strange, and far more interesting for it.

Even the strap feels deliberate. An integrated black calfskin strap with a new motif developed specifically for this watch keeps the whole thing cohesive. No bracelet chasing attention, no over-designed clasp. Just a pin buckle in matching pink gold, doing its job and getting out of the way.

The Jumping Hour Neo Frame is not a watch for everyone, and that is the compliment. It is not built for hype cycles or waitlist theatrics. It is built for collectors who care about form, mechanics, and the confidence it takes for a brand like AP to release something this left of centre.

At CHF 56,300 / $103,000 AUD, it sits firmly in serious territory. But value here is not about specs-per-dollar. It is about Audemars Piguet reminding everyone that it can still surprise us, occasionally.