On eBay UK

vintage RETRO TIME RECORDER JUMP HOUR DIGITAL WATCH NOS    £165.00

RARE VINTAGE VERANDA JUMP HOUR MECHANICAL WATCH    £.99

RARE VINTAGE GLOBA DIGITAL JUMP HOUR WATCH    £.99

RARE VINTAGE SMITHS DIGITAL JUMP HOUR WATCH    £1.31

RARE VINTAGE BULER DIGITAL JUMP HOUR WATCH    £.99

RARE VINTAGE LUCERNE DIGITAL JUMP HOUR WATCH    £.99

On eBay US

VINTAGE KEDE JUMP HOUR QUARTZ MEN WATCH    US $9.99

SWISS VINTAGE SWATCH JUMP HOUR QUARTZ MEN WATCH    US $9.99

1960s vintage jump hour watch    US $100.00

When it comes to retro watches, the main brands to look out for are Lanco and Damas. Both unbeatable in terms of quality and styling.

On eBay UK

VINTAGE DAMAS DIGITAL JUMP HOUR WATCH BRACELET 70S NOS    £25.00

On eBay US

The font and colours used do not mark them as specifically 70s (as opposed to a make such as the Lanco jump hour watch). Rather, they use classic, timeless colours such as black and deep, rich red. There are, of course, some more recognisably 70s shades in the palette - their brown watch leaps to mind. The typeface is a forceful, clean sans serif with a stylised 'M' logo. Plenty of straight lines used in both the font and the styling of the watch.

The display is on the left hand side with minute and second digits (both with indents). And a much needed red line to aid time keeping (not that time keeping is the primary function of jump hours).

The mechanism of these watches is a high quality Swiss automatic movement. These mechanisms, so long as they are cared for, will not let you down. It's not for nothing that the Swiss are so associated with time keeping. So even in watches from the 70s, the mechanism will most likely function as well as it does for any watch produced this century.

There are two types of strap arrangement that I have seen. The steel strap variety has a very broad face to the watch with large steel plates at the top and bottom of the display. The other type has a larger, non-metallic strap which leaves only the very narrow display.

Rarer Damas Jump Hour Watches

As well as the design described above, Damas did make a different design. This one came in more lurid colours (dayglo green and orange) and featured an elongated diamond shaped face with the digits displayed underneath the 'Damas' name. It is also less masculine in its form. This design isn't as timeless as the more common Damas design, but it does have a very kitsch, retro appeal.

In my personal opinion, the Damas jump hour watch is the most stylish jump hour, and watch full stop, there is. It's a complete design classic and anyone collection jump hours should have one in their collection.

For Sale on eBay UK

For Sale on eBay US

The most common Lanco face is a rounded rectangle design. The digits are displayed centrally with three horizontal lines across the face. To the left of the digits is the Lanco name and logo (a traditional watch face with the hands in the shape of an 'L') and the words 'SWISS MADE'. The most common colours are green, blue and red (all, of course, in the most 70s shades of these colours).

The less common Lanco model has a more oval shape to it. They share a very similar styling to the other design but with a slight realignment of features: there is only one, bold line through the centre, the name and logo are above and the 'SWISS MADE' legend is below. This design does have a slightly more modern feel to it. So, if you're going for the retro look, the more common design is for you.

Like the Damas jump hour watch, the Lanco has a high quality Swiss mechanism. One that you can rely on.

If you're looking for a retro 70s watch, there's no doubt that Lanco is the way to go. The styling of them is incredible and there's no beating their kitsch appeal.

Buy Lanco watches here.

Vintage Jump Hour Watches

By far the best place to buy vintage jump hour watches is on eBay. Every week there will be a large selection up there to buy. Because of the auction system of buying, there is a very good possibility that you will be able to pick up a bargain.

Things to look for:

- The quality of the photos. Because you won't be able to handle the watch, this will be your best guide to its condition. A good seller will have a number of high quality photos. Make sure there is a photo of the mechanism and that it looks in good condition.

- The seller's feedback score. Each seller will have been given positive or negative feedback from previous buyers. You should look for a quality score in the high 90s. Anything less than 95% and you should be wary of a seller.

- If the seller refers to wear or slight damage in their listing, this is a good sign. If they acknowledge it in this listing, you can have more confidence in all their listings - so you can believe them if they say it is in mint condition.

New Watches

With jump hour watches being a niche product, eBay is again the best place to find new watches. In the case of new watches, you don't have to worry so much about whether they will work. However, you may have to give more thought to the quality of them. If you are just looking for an interesting, eye-catching fun watch, you don't need to worry too much. But if you're looking for a quality time piece, check the reputation of the brand. Also, check to see if the watch mechanism is Swiss made; always a sign of quality.

Buying From the US

Although not as large as the UK market, you can often find an interesting jump hour watch on the US site. Because watches are light, you won't have to worry about prohibitive postage charges. The only concern will be import charges. You may have to pay these along with a handling fee to the deliverer. This can add up to 20% to the cost of the watch. Until recently, the exchange rate meant that buying from the US was very cheap, even with the import tax. But with the recent changes in the economy, the exchange rate is no long quite so favorable. Having said that, there are still some bargains to be had.

Find a jump hour watch on eBay UK

However, being a fan of ridiculous watches, I quite like it. The most unusual aspect of it from our perspective is that it combines both jump hour and a dial. The jump hour takes care of the hours and the hands take care of the minutes and seconds. I would guess that makes it entirely useless as a way of telling the time. But who buys a jump hour watch on the basis of practicality anyway?

It has a number of fantastical and mad additions to it. The watch has a number of time zones dotted around its face. But I'm not sure how you'd use them since the hours are in the jump hour rather than the dial. Even more hilarious are the pull out gun sights at the side of the watch. Quite possibly the best joke there has ever been on a watch.

You will have to have a sense of the ridiculous to wear this watch (as well as no immediate need to tell the time). But if you can get away with it, it is one hell of a watch.

The James Bond jump hour watch is currently for sale here.

Whereas standard watches display the time by rotating hands, a jump hour watch displays the time via digits in a window. These digits are on a wheel which is spun by the mechanism so that only the correct time is visible.

The fact they display numbers rather than having a dial makes them the first ever digital watch. Although digital watches have come to be associated with electronic displays, the strict definition of a digital watch is one, "that displays time in the form of numbers, rather than by a dial and hands". This means that the digital watch can be traced back to the earliest jump hour watch in the 19th Century.

The jump hour watch is a timeless classic of a design that has come into fashion a number of times. Even though it is now most associated with the 1970s, companies are again turning to this way of displaying time and are coming up with entirely new ways of using this format that is at once timeless and refreshingly modern.

Kede make a number of unusual looking watches so it's not surprising that they have come up with a number of designs for jump hour watches. As well as the M-05, they have also released the M-07. Both watches have a clean, minimalist look to them and are exceptionally stylish.

Of the two, I prefer the 'sunrise' display of the M-05.

This watch was made my Blondeau for the French king in around 1830. The site refers to it as a "French 18K gold champlevee enamel digital antique pocket watch". Although it is a pocket-watch rather than a wristwatch, there is no doubting that it is the ancestor of the modern jump hour watch. And you can spot that ever since the earliest days of the jump hour watch it has been very strong on looks and putting eye-catching showiness at the fore. I think it's a very good contender for the earliest digital watch and the earliest jump hour watch.

The production jump hour watch was designed by Joseph Pallweber. These watches were made by Cortébert and the International Watch Co. (IWC) in the 1880s. The photo above is a Cortébert (used under Creative Commons license). Compare that and this picture of a Cortébert jump hour with the IWC version and you'll see how similar they are.

This store brings together a selection of great value jump hour watches. You can buy vintage 70s and 80s watches as well as reproductions and innovative modern jumping hour watches.

At the moment, the market for jump hour watches is just taking off, so you can still buy a cheap jump hour watch that's stylish and attractive. Jump hour watches are the cool retro watches. With the economic recession, there has been a move against flashy 'bling' watches towards something more individualist and interesting. And there is no doubt that you can buy a gorgeous vintage jump hour watch for a great deal less than many of the watches around. And they will be far more eye catching and interesting than the more expensive watches.

And our inaugural choice is the Arios jump hour watch. The most striking aspect of it is the colour. It has that sort of blue colour that only existed in the 70s (I think they must have banned it some time in 1981).

But the detailing on it is also great. The Arios logo is an absolute classic.

And I'm glad the listing has a shot of the mechanism - other sellers should take note. It's good to see that the workings are in good condition. You can never be 100% sure when you're buying a vintage watch that it will be in full working condition. But seeing that the mechanism is well kept is a very good start and a nice bit of reassurance.