Zach Brass
Mechanical digital watches are a boundary contradiction in a world where digital and quartz seem to threaten the very existence of traditional watchmaking, but digital displays have long existed before quartz and electronic digital watches have done so far. The first mechanical digital clock ever was said to have been born in the 1830s. This is a one-time jump time pocket watch designed by Blondeau for the king of France. By the 1890s, such pocket watches became more common through the work of Cortebert and Joseph Paul Weber. The latter is a name you may recognize because of its relationship with IWC and the tribute clock it has created.
After the world pivoted onto a wristwatch in favor of pocket watches, digital displays were not absent, but very uncommon (it wasn’t really the case). However, in a market that appears to be more open and craving atypical and disruptive designs, we have seen exponentially more mechanical digital clocks come into the market. Below are eight of the best mechanical digital watches you can buy today at different price points. And to distinguish between mechanical digital watches and jump hour watches, I limit myself to a watch with at least multiple displays being digitally displayed.
Stauer Dashtronic
Most mechanical digital watches are very expensive due to their unconventional mechanisms and design, at least in the traditional industry. However, for those who want to soak their toes in the water of mechanical watches that display the time digitally, the Stauer Dashtronic is an excellent option and is currently on sale. In a highly wearable 30m water-resistant stainless steel case with a diameter of 39mm and thickness of 12mm, Stauer’s Dacitronic leverages a cost-effective automatic movement combined with two wandering discs to display hours and minutes. A second jump disc or ring enters the mix and the price will inevitably rise, but Stauer can keep costs down with two wandering/trailing rings. If you can pass through the sculptures of Stower branding and movement on the front of the case, it is considered a great, low-cost option. Price: USD 399 (On sale starting at USD 199)
SpaceOne Jump Hour Blue Steel
SpaceOne’s first jump hour quickly attracts attention from watch collectors around the world, and somehow offers the futuristic spaceship aesthetic that you’ll expect to find at very low prices from luxury brands like MB&F and De Bethune. In collaboration with renowned watchmaker Theo Auffret, SpaceOne was able to devise a cost-effective jump time module on a cost-effective 38-hour automatic SOPROD P024 base. This jump time and movement over a few minutes of wandering is housed in a blue stainless steel case, 51.67mm wide, 12.61mm thick, and most importantly, 42mm long. So despite its unconventional width, there is a 42mm lug-to-lug (because there is no better phrase). This is a design that fits more wrists than you would expect. Several different case finishes are available, but it’s difficult to beat blue steel to channel Derek Zoolander. Price: 1,700 euros
AMIDA DIGITREND
The recently revived Amida Digitrend and Girard-Perregaux Casquette are two watches that share similar aesthetics, but unlike the Casquette, the Digitrend is mechanically driven. The GPHG nominated design dates back to 1976, when it was born in the same year as the Patek Philippe Nautilus, and is back in three steel configurations. The 50-meter water-resistant case is 39.6mm wide, 39mm long and 15.6mm thick, regardless of color treatment. Like SpaceOne Jump Hour, DigitRend takes advantage of so-rod-based movements combined with in-house modules. However, since the base is Solod Newton P092, it is an automatic movement for 44 hours. Price: Starting from USD 3,500
Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence
Understood. Certainly, we are increasing the prices significantly now…but fair, I warned you! One of the hottest releases of LVMH Watch Week Week 2025, Louis Vuitton has scored points with watch enthusiasts with the new Tambour Convergence. Although it costs USD 33,200 more than Stauer, who launched this buying guide, I’ll admit from the start that this watch doesn’t have a jump hour display. Both are wandering/pursuits. However, the case design and finish are much more complicated and exquisite, and it goes without saying that the company’s caliber is also astronomical.
The extremely thin, 18K rose gold case, 38mm in diameter and 7mm thick, has a mirror almost completely drawn on its front. You can put on hair and makeup and check your teeth in front of this watch. It is also a wearable mirror that conveys time. That being said, I have seen early watch buyers have patterns engraved on the front of the watch. This shows that it is an opportunity to customize your customization according to your interests. The 45-hour automatic movement is completely in-house LFT caliber and is finely decorated with frosted, frosted surfaces on the edges. Price: 33,500 US$
URWERK UR-100V MT HUNTER GREEN
If anyone would like to popularize complex wandering digital displays in modern watchmaking, it’s urwerk. Known for its futuristic and luxurious industrial aesthetic watches, Wolwork properly attracted luxury watch collectors like Robert Downey Jr., who wore a urgency watch while playing Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Any wolwork makes a great candidate for this guide, but there is a distinction that the UR-100V is the only watch on this list equipped on the bracelet.
The satellite time for the signature is indicated by a green arrow below it, matching the semicircular 60-minute display, as the time indicator wanders across the lower half of the dial. Additionally, the watch also has two unique counters. According to Urwerk, “The first shows 555km covered by the earth for 20 minutes as it rotates on its own axis. The second shows 35,740km that traveled the earth in 20 minutes, as it revolves around the sun.” Technically, there is only one digital display here, but I think this piece is worthy of an exception to my established rules. Price: CHF 58,000 (excluding VAT)
MB&F Horologic Machine N°8 Mark 2 White
Whatever MB&F creates is traditional, but before the high-end independent brands offered a sense of olive branches familiar with the lineup of legacy machines, the name was built on a highly artistic watch machine. HM8 pays tribute to founder Max Büsser’s love for cars, the world of automobiles, and his former dream of becoming a car designer. The case structure is extremely complex, with a mix of Grade 5 titanium, carbon macroron and “double bubble” sapphire crystal, complete with a water-resistant chassis. While his predecessor combined an in-house module with a modified Serrata caliber, the HM8 Mark 2 uses an automatic Girard Perlegoux-based movement, providing a 42-hour power reserve. Price: CHF 68,000 (excluding VAT)
Frank Muller Long Island Evolution Master Jumper
The Frank Muller Long Island Evolution Master Jumper has been practiced recently, but this is my first time watching, especially with three jump displays. All of these are digitally mechanically driven. Normally I would say there is less dial text, but the watches creatively incorporate a kind of technical sheet printed on crystals that don’t overwhelm the dial. Rather, it leans towards the technical nature of the work. The three jump displays shown with five spinning discs certainly pose that challenge. The considerable amount of energy each disc needs to do the necessary jumps. But leave it to a complication expert like Frank Muller and get it all to understand. Price: $157,600 (~US$99,335, Asia Pacific only)
A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk
A. Lange & Söhne’s 1994 Rebirth established the window style for its signature opera. But, while it was once merely a means of displaying dates in a large and handsome way, Zeitwerk introduced this aesthetic as a way to convey hours and minutes. Both indications, hours and minutes are indications for jumps, and the dial is very balanced with the very traditional running seconds and the power reserve indications placed at 6′ and 12′ between them. Zeitwerk was a Holy Grail-level watch that collectors like because of the balance between traditional and digital elements. The 12.2mm thick 41.9mm watch is sold exclusively in precious metals and is driven by a new in-house movement that doubles the previous generation model’s 36-hour endurance to 72-hour power reserve. Price: on request
Time+Tide Timeless Pick: Cartier Tankà Guichets
To return to the Zoolander reference, Cartier was very hot now, and the now unusual Cartier couldn’t burn hot. The brand’s Tank Agichets models are highly sought after due to growing interest in mechanical digital watches, and have not been produced in large quantities since the start of their design in 1928, gaining a long and fascinating collector. The above example was once listed by Keystone and was only one of three. One day, when Cartier was crossed, he decided to revive it on that private line.
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