There are times when it seems as if some guiding, albeit slightly mischievous, spirit of the watch industry has whispered identical words of inspiration into different ears at different maisons, and then sat back to watch the fun. If there is such a spirit flitting between factories then he/she/they have been very busy, as 2025 has witnessed the most remarkable resurgence of one of the most esoteric of timepieces: the guichet. The watch is distinguished by its blank plane of metal through which hours and minutes are read via small windows rather than by the sweep of traditional hands.
At the beginning of the year, Louis Vuitton launched its Tambour Convergence. And then at Watches and Wonders Cartier reintroduced its historic Tank à Guichets, while Bremont, perhaps the most surprising of all, presented its bronze-cased Terra Nova Jumping Hour. Each takes a distinctly different approach, yet all share the same fundamental principle.
Louis Vuitton pink-gold Tambour Convergence Watch, £32,500
Bremont bronze Terra Nova Jumping Hour, £4,900
After almost a century, it’s still a contemporary design
