Certain watch niches are riskier than others; for instance, seemingly every brand has tried a dive watch or chronograph because they are guaranteed crowd pleasers with straightforward functionality, whereas a world timer or moonphase complication is a little trickier to market to a general audience. In that corner of hyperniche sits the jumping hour watch, which to a non-watch nerd, is both visually and functionally baffling. But Bremont is no stranger to the jumping hour concept, having released successful models with the complication in the recent past. How have they fared with their latest iteration, the Terra Nova 38 Stealth Black? Let’s jump in and find out.
While a seasoned horological expert may be familiar with a jumping hour complication, the casual shopper likely isn’t: basically, instead of displaying a sweeping hour hand, a jumping hour watch points to the current hour and “jumps” to the next hour once 60 minutes have elapsed. Conversely, it may instead display the hour in a window, with an imprinted disc moving below that ticks over to the next digit, much like a date window. The Stealth Black opts for the latter presentation, which gives it a clean, retro-futuristic design that differs from previous models in the brand’s jumping hour catalog, and their Terra Nova line more broadly. As the name suggests, the Stealth Black is characterized by its 38mm black DLC stainless steel case, finished in black diamond carbon-like coating, which gives it a sci-fi starkness, and corrosion and scratch resistance. Rounding out the profile of the cushion-shaped case is a push-in crown at the 3 o’clock position and a decorated closed case back.
Bremont went for a vertically stacked design on the dial of the Stealth Black, as opposed to the left-to-right (or 6-to-3) horizontal flow. Inspired by early 20th-century trench watches, it follows a Montres á Guichet design, with the Bremont logo at the very top, the hour window just below it, a central compass point to anchor the dial, the minute window below the compass, and other text details at the bottom, namely the Terra Nova nameplate. Since the text is etched into the dial rather than printed, it gives the watch an extra sense of depth, and allows for the time and orientation functions to stand out, with their white bordering and details. The minute disc is anchored by a solid white arrow, giving it the appearance of an old school speedometer or altimeter, another nod to the 20th-century military inspirations. Furthering that image even more is the inclusion of a black leather bund strap, though a DLC 904L black-finished brushed steel bracelet is also available for a dressier look.
Inside the Stealth Black is the BC634 movement, which Bremont developed exclusively with Sellita. It promises hour jumps accurate to under one-tenth of a second, an impressive feat for any jumping hour timepiece.
The Terra Nova 38 Jumping Hour Stealth Black is certainly the most intriguing jumping hour piece from Bremont, and when paired with the bund strap, makes for a sleek, almost alien-looking device that combines retro-rugged design sensibilities with a sharp jump hour complication to create a compellingly different watch. The retail price is $5,650. Bremont
Elodie Townsend
2026-02-17 17:00:00