Sunday Morning Showdown: Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour Vs. Cartier Tank À Guichets

Good morning, Fratelli, and welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown. Slowly open your shutters, make yourself a nice cup of coffee, and sit back and relax. Today will be a discreet, sophisticated, and elegant showdown. Last year, Cartier reintroduced its famous Tank à Guichets in 18K rose gold, 18K yellow gold, and 950 platinum. At the beginning of this month, Audemars Piguet countered that with the introduction of its Neo Frame Jumping Hour. Let’s see which of the two receives most of your votes.

The Cartier Tank à Guichets received a lot of praise for its classic sizing and the true-to-the-original design. Audemars Piguet went for a different approach with its Neo Frame. It’s bigger than the original from the 1920s and has a few more distinctive design features. We’re curious to see which one will win today. However, before we let Thomas and Daan take their corners, let’s see what happened during last week’s battle.

Last week, on Sunday Morning Showdown…

In the previous showdown, we put the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT up against the Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Extreme GMT. These military-inspired watches have quite a lot in common, like their 24-hour bezels, thick lume plots, and utilitarian character. However, the Tudor went home as the winner with 63% of the votes. It’s seen as technically superior and also more authentic than the Christopher Ward. The C63, on the other hand, offers a lot of value for the money and the possibility to wear it on a bracelet, which the Pelagos FXD can’t do because of its fixed strap bars. In the end, though, the Christopher Ward’s caller-style GMT movement couldn’t compete with the Tudor’s flyer-GMT interface. Let’s see what will happen during this week’s battle.

Daan: Cartier Tank à Guichets

When Cartier reintroduced the Tank à Guichets last year, it almost felt a little underwhelming. The watches in 18K rose gold, 18K yellow gold, and 950 platinum looked so similar to the original models from the 1930s that they didn’t feel like a revolutionary new introduction. I still feel that Cartier could show a little more courage sometimes by adapting its designs to current times. However, why would the brand do that when the original designs are this good?

Instead, Cartier showed courage by introducing these new Tank à Guichets in a very classic 24.8mm × 37.6mm size. That means these watches are seen as small in the current landscape, and that’s exactly why I prefer them over the new Audemars Piguet Neo Frame. The classic size of the Tank à Guichets works a lot better on my 17cm wrist than the AP’s 34mm × 47mm case. That’s nearly a centimeter wider and longer. Indeed, the Neo Frame’s 8.8mm profile is still quite thin, especially with its automatic movement inside. Still, I’d rather wear the 6mm-slim Tank.

Dressy vs. sporty

When I first saw pictures of the new Audemars Piguet Neo Frame, I actually thought it was more of a sporty watch. The glossy black facade and how it flows into the strap gave it an athletic attitude in my eyes. I also thought the strap was made of rubber, but I read it’s made of textured calf leather. The Neo Frame’s larger dimensions make it look sportier as well, especially when next to the smaller Cartier Tank.

I do appreciate the fact that Audemars Piguet dared to modernize the vintage-inspired design. The black PVD-treated glossy sapphire on the front works well with the 18K rose gold gadroons on the brancards. The strap also accentuates those signature gadroons. However, the overall design might be a bit too shiny for me.

The mostly brushed Cartier Tank à Guichets is the more modest of the two. Polished bevels accentuate its classic lines, but it’s nowhere as blingy as the AP. It’s the dressier of the two, and that matches my style better.

Round movements

I guess it’s clear now why I’d choose the Cartier over the AP. However, I’d also like to mention a point of critique for both these watches. The Cartier Tank à Guichets houses the hand-wound caliber 9755 MC, which, in the end, is a Cartier adaptation of the Piaget caliber 430P. The Audemars Piguet Neo Frame uses the in-house caliber 7122, a modified version of the 7121 known from the Royal Oak Jumbo models. I think it’s a real shame that both watches’ movements are round rather than rectangular to match their case shape. The AP’s sapphire window on the case back suggests that the movement isn’t round, but you can indeed see that it is.

The Cartier Tank à Guichets starts at US$47,700, and the Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour costs US$71,200. At those prices, I honestly think it would be great to have a movement more adapted to the case’s rectangular shape. All right, Thomas, the floor is yours!

Thomas: Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour

Thank you, Daan! And good morning, everyone! I wholeheartedly agree, Daan, with regards to the lack of shaped movements. Unfortunately, we see this trend in high horology lately. I think we can pinpoint a few reasons why fewer brands produce shaped movements now.

First, finances play a big part. Developing a brand-new caliber is an extremely costly endeavor, and, as we all know, the watch world isn’t booming at the moment. Consequently, watch brands need sales hits without overly costly development trajectories. Add to this the fact that the vast majority of less-informed consumers don’t even recognize this as a shortcoming. Second, while shaped watches are making a high-speed comeback today, developing a shaped caliber takes a ton of time, so I can see why brands would prioritize a swift on-trend release.

That said, Cartier, in particular, isn’t exactly new to rectangular watches, is it? In fact, its biggest sellers all have rectangular cases, so if anyone should buck this trend, it is Cartier.

Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour over the Tank à Guichets

Okay, with that out of the way, allow me to shift focus to my candidate, the Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour. I would like to make a clear distinction here between the desire to own a watch and rating it highly from a critical perspective. I can get on your side when it comes to a desire to own either of these watches, Daan. I, too, would buy and wear the Tank over the AP if I were spending my money.

That said, I don’t feel that Sunday Morning Showdown should be about personal style. It should be about identifying which watch is the better proposition. You may already see where I am going with this, as you implied it yourself: the AP carries much greater significance, which is why I would vote for it regardless of my preference for the Cartier.

This significance comes from the fact that Audemars Piguet dares to evolve its work. We all know that Cartier designed some amazing watches about a century ago and still sells them. But which will be looked back upon with greater admiration a century from now, the house that kept doing the same thing or the house that made an effort to evolve and push the boundaries?

AP isn’t afraid

I deeply admire Audemars Piguet because the company is so much more daring than most of its direct competitors. Most manufacturers in this segment live in the past, constantly regurgitating feats from way back. New models and lines tend to look like the old ones, with only minor updates.

Meanwhile, AP has the guts to launch a new line like the Code 11:59. The brand caught tons of flak for it at the time, but the line is now slowly maturing into something much more widely appreciated. Compare this to another big name in the segment launching a new sports watch by merely squaring off its old one…

This is precisely why I foresee a bright future for AP. Watches like the Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour take a little bit of adjustment time. They may not be as easy to digest as the Cartier Tank. However, they move the needle. They show that the watch world still has a pulse and a desire to expand into uncharted territories. And that, my dear watch friends, deserves your vote, if you ask me!

Cast your vote!

There you have it — the Cartier Tank à Guichets and the Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour, two mechanical, digital watches vying for your favor! Which is the better watch? Cast your vote, and share your motivations in the comments section below! Oh, and have a lovely Sunday!