Oris Artelier Jumping Hour Review

Jump hours are one of the more uncommon, but cool complications you can find on a watch. Well, in my opinion that is. By removing the hour hand and creating a digital readout, one that in a true jump hour instantly changes at the top of the hour, you get something that is both interesting and practical. Jump hours are really easy to read at a glance. Visually, they are then just intriguing pieces that, depending on the design, will have a very different look and feel from you standard three-hander.

Jump hours are so uncommon that we’ve actually only have reviewed one in the history of w&w. Well, today we’re going to change that with the Oris Artelier Jumping Hour. Part of one their dressier lines, the Jumping Hour stands out from the collection not just because of the complication, but also for having a rather unmistakeable, heavily textured dial. Using a Dubois Depraz module on a Sellita SW 300-1 movement, the Oris Artelier Jumping Hour has a price tag of $4,600, making it an expensive piece. Whether the complications justifies the cost, is the question.

Case

The case of the Oris Jumping Hour is simple at a glance, but reveals a mix of interesting geometry and superb finishing upon closer inspection. Measuring 40.5 x 47 x 11.3mm it’s a solid watch that is perhaps large to be a classic dress watch, but a nice size as a formal leaning everyday watch. That said, the size is actually tempered by the conical design of the case. The case tapers towards the crystal, getting narrower as it goes up. So, it’s only 40.5 at the case back, but at the bezel it’s closer to 38mm. Thus, when you look down at it, it appears smaller than it is.

The conical shape isn’t the only interesting detail. The lugs, which are thick and a touch sporty with their aggressive angles, are actually part of the case back rather than mid-case. They come up, fitting perfectly in indentations on the case side, and finish just above the mid case. From above, the lugs appear to cut through, and attach straight to the bezel. The result of all this is some nice complexity that while subtle, adds to the overall look and luxurious feel of the watch. These are details that require great machining and precise tolerances to pull off cleanly.

In terms of finishing, the case is predominantly polished, but features just enough brushing to have some nice texture and surface variation. The top edge of the mid-case, just before the bezel, has a nice bevel going all around which is brushed. Then the top of the lugs and beveled edge of the lugs are also brushed. The quality of the brushing is noticeably nicer than average. It’s a slightly coarser grain of brushing with very clear grain direction. The edges between the polished and brushed areas are also super clean and sharp.

The crown at three is push/pull and measures  about 4.8 x 3.6mm. It’s got a sort of squashed onion crown shape, with rounded and finely toothed sides and a signed outer surface. It’s an attractive design that works well with the case, even if it doesn’t directly reflect the rest of the design, having a more classical feel on a fairly modern case design.

Flipping the watch over, you have a display case back held on with 8 small screws. Through the display window, you can see the Oris 917 / SW 300-1 movement. It’s not very decorated, which is typically the case with Oris’, though it has their signature red rotor and what appears to be some level of plating and graining. Around the display window is a raised polished area with some details about the watch, which is encircled by a lower brushed area which contain the screws. I quite like the use of finishing on the case back, adding details to an often over looked surface.

Dial

Striking and beautiful, the dial of the Artelier Jumping Hour is unlike any other dial I’ve encountered. There are a few things that immediately jump out at you; the silver color, the cascading textures, the deep grooves…but what caught my eye first was the decentralized layout. If the large window at 12 wasn’t indication enough that this isn’t your everyday watch, certainly the fact that the minutes hand is off-center will. As is clear from the name, the window is for the hour numeral, which jumps at the top of hour, giving you a “digital” read out, but the decentralized minutes is a quirky bonus from the jump hour module.

The rest of the dial functions like a regulateur,with areas of the surface being just decorative. Encircling the minute hand is a deeply recessed index with numerals at intervals of 5 and small lines per individual minute. This creates a mini dial on the top half of the surface. Below at 6, is a sub-seconds dial, also deeply depressed into the main surface. The minute index and sub-seconds overlap, creating an interesting moment where various indexes and textures collide.

On the surrounding area, the negative space, you have a series of applied markers pointing towards the minutes, getting larger as they approach 6. The effect is a that of rays, emanating from the index. All areas of the dial are textured with a pressed Guilloché type pattern of wavy concentric circles, except the sub-seconds which has its own set of circles, all flowing from the minute hand. It’s a very attractive treatment with the affect of making the entire dial look like a burst of silvery light. Throw in the polished steel markers and hands, and you have a beautiful monochromatic landscape.

This dial would be effective with our without the jump hour complication, which just adds another layer of intrigue. I personally really like jump hours, despite being very uncommon, as they are a clever complication that actually makes the a watch even easier to read at a glance. The hour is immediately readable, which brings your eyes quickly to the minutes. Because the minutes and seconds on the Oris are separated, that too can be read near instantly. My only complaint, and this goes for most of the jump hours I’ve seen, is that the minute hand covers the hour window at the moment it jumps… that the minute hand covers the hour window ever is a bit odd, but making you miss the moment of action is just kind of disappointing.

Movement

The Oris 917 is a Sellita SW 300-1 with a Dubois Depraz 14400 jump hour module installed. The SW-300 series is Sellita’s answer to the ETA 2892, where as the more commonly seen SW-200 is 2824 equivalent. As with the 2892, there is a sense that it’s regarded as a higher end automatic, one with a thinner profile (3.6mm vs 4.6mm). This makes it a logical choice to use when paired with a module, as they add height to the movement.

Dubois Depraz, if you haven’t heard of them, is an over-a-century old complication manufacturer, whose modules you’ve likely come across, even if the brand didn’t make it totally obvious. For example, most of the bi-register automatic chronographs out on the market right now, say by Bell&Ross, Tudor or Junghans, use ETA 2892 or Sellita base movements with Depraz modular chronographs.

The 14400 module not only adds the jump hour, it changes a few things. For one, it decentralizes the minute hand. It also adds the sub-seconds, but appears to remove hacking. Whether or not a date is possible, I don’t know, but there is only one stop on the crown. All said and done, the movement has 31-jewels, is hand-winding, has a 42-hr power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 bph. Setting the time is done in the obvious fashion, with the hour jumping per 60-minute rotation. The hour can also go backwards, though I’m not sure if that’s an advisable practice.

Straps and Wearability

The Oris Artelier Jump Hour comes mounted to a 21mm faux-gator brown leather strap (there is also a black option available as well as a bracelet). The strap is well-made, with a gentle taper, slight padding that thins out, folded edges and backing. It’s subtle and comfortable. My one issue is that it’s faux-gator rather than real gator, or just normal leather, calf, etc… At the price point of this watch, I really feel that they should have sprung for genuine gator. The strap comes mounted to a very nice Bader-style (same as used by C Ward) deployant clasp. They are easy to use, comfortable to wear, and even feature a touch of nice finishing in the form of perlage on the surface that clasp lands on.

While on paper, you might look at this watch and think that it should be smaller, or have less pronounced lugs, or just be dressier…on the wrist it makes so much sense. It fits perfectly, has a nice amount of presence, is surprisingly masculine and is simply gorgeous. The case design is really spot-on. The slight taper actually makes it look a bit thinner too, while the angular lugs command attention. I could easily see this case also being used in sportier designs, but it works with the dressier dial.

The dial brings a lot to the party too. The wave textures and light silver surface are very dynamic in the light, creating a surface that is ever-changing. The odd, asymmetric layout also draws ones eye towards the watch… you don’t have to look too hard to realize this is something very different. The only thing I could do without in practice is the index of applied markers. They add a bit too much bling, where as without them, the dial would have looked very clean, and a interesting mix of technical elements and decorative texturing.

Conclusion

The Oris Artelier Jump Hour is a very attractive, interesting and different watch from what we typically see, or frankly what I typically wear. The jump hour complication is very cool, and I also really liked the off center minute hand, which just makes the watch feel all the more unique. The finishing is top notch, the dial texturing is too. The only things I think could be improved are the strap and frankly, the movement decoration.

That all said, this watch is expensive. With an MSRP of $4,600, it’s significantly more than most of the watches, let alone the Oris’, we typically look at. And at $4,600, I would expect everything to be so beyond reproach, so special, that you know immediately where the price comes from, such as their in-house 10-day 111s which start just over $5k. In terms of the brand, I know they put as much quality and effort into pieces that are $1,800, like the Diver Sixty-Five, so the price of this watch must really be coming from the module. Also, the case is the same that is used on Artelier watches that are closer to $2k, further pointing towards the module.

This is a fairly uncommon module, having previously been used in a Baume et Mercier, I believe in a current Chronoswiss (they don’t say so, but the distinct dial layout is the same), as well as David Yurman. All of those watches also command a decently high price, with the Yurman coming in over $10k. So, with that known, the watch is a bit more in perspective. With jump hours being uncommon, if you’re searching for one, you might just have to spend more to get the one you want, and enter into the market with that in the back of your head. Yes, they’re are less expensive options, namely from C. Ward, whose C9 MKII starts at $1,370. That said, it’s a far more plain looking watch.

In the end of the day, what we have is a very nice watch with a price tag that makes it a bit of a hard pill to swallow. But, if it’s the watch you’ve always been looking for, I can assure you it’s a gorgeous piece that is made to the standards you expect from Oris.