8 of the best mechanical digital watches to toe the line
Zach BlassA mechanical digital watch is borderline oxymoronic in a world where digital and quartz seemingly threatened the very existence of traditional watchmaking, but mechanical watches with a digital display existed long before quartz and electronic digital watches ever did. It is said that the first-ever mechanical digital timepiece was born in the 1830s, a one-off jump-hour 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 Pallweber – the latter a name you may recognise due to its ties to IWC and the tribute watches it created.
Once the world pivoted to wristwatches in favour of pocket watches, digital displays – though not non-existent – were not super common, nor have they ever really been. However, in a marketplace that seems to be more open to atypical and disruptive design, we have seen exponentially more mechanical digital watches come to market. Below, you will find eight of the best mechanical digital watches you can buy today at varying price points, and so as to create a distinction between mechanical digital watches and jump hour watches, I will limit myself to watches with more than one indication digitally displayed.
Stauer Dashtronic
Most mechanical digital watches are very expensive due to their unconventional mechanisms and designs, at least in a traditional industry. However, for anyone wanting to dip their toes into the waters of a mechanical watch that digitally displays the time, the Stauer Dashtronic is an excellent option – and one that is currently on sale. In a very wearable 30-metre water-resistant stainless steel case, 39mm in diameter and 12mm thick, the Dashtronic leverages a cost-effective automatic movement paired with two discs to display the hours and minutes. The second a jumping disc or ring enters the mix, the price inevitably goes up, but Stauer is able to keep costs down with a dragging indication. If you can get past the Stauer branding and movement engraving on the front of the case, it stands to be a great lower-cost option. Price: US$399 (on sale now for US$199)
SpaceOne Jumping Hour Blue Steel
SpaceOne’s inaugural Jumping Hour immediately caught the attention of watch collectors worldwide, somehow delivering a futuristic spaceship aesthetic you would expect to find from high-end brands like MB&F and De Bethune at a vastly lower price point. Teaming up with independent watchmaker Theo Auffret, SpaceOne was able to devise a cost-effective jumping hour module on top of a Soprod P024 base. This jumping hour and dragging minutes movement is housed within a blued stainless steel case 51.67mm wide, 12.61mm thick, and, most importantly, 42mm in length. So, despite its unconventional width, with its 42mm lug-to-lug (for lack of a better phrase), it’s a design that can suit more wrists than you might expect. There’s a few different case finishes available, but to channel Derek Zoolander, Blue Steel is hard to beat. Price: €1,700 (~US$1,850)
Amida Digitrend
The recently revived Amida Digitrend and Girard-Perregaux Casquette are two watches that share a similar aesthetic, but unlike the Casquette, the Digitrend is mechanically driven – and a fraction of the price. The GPHG-nominated design dates back to 1976, born the same year as the Patek Philippe Nautilus, and has returned in three steel configurations. The 50-metre water-resistant case measures 39.6mm wide, 39mm long, and 15.6mm thick, regardless of the colour treatment. Like the SpaceOne Jumping Hour, the Digitrend utilises a Soprod base movement paired with an in-house module. However, with its base being the Soprod Newton P092, it’s a 44-hour automatic movement. Price: starting at US$3,500
Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence
Okay, we are making a massive jump up in price… But in fairness, I warned you! One of the hottest releases of LVMH Watch Week 2025, Louis Vuitton scored points with watch lovers with its new Tambour Convergence. Though US$33,200 more expensive than the Stauer that kicked off this buying guide, I will concede from the outset that this watch does not have a jump hour display, as both the indications are trailing. But it goes without saying that the case design and finishing are far more intricate and exquisite, and the in-house calibre is also much better finished.
Measuring 38mm in diameter and a very slender 7mm thick, the 18k rose gold case is nearly entirely mirror-polished on its front side. You could do your hair and makeup or check your teeth in the front of this watch – it’s practically a wearable mirror that also tells the time. That being said, I have seen early buyers of the watch have patterns engraved into the front, so it stands to be an opportunity for bespoke customisation. The 45-hour automatic movement within is an in-house LFT calibre, and is finely decorated with sunken, frosted surfaces for the bridges which are also bevelled on their edges. Price: US$33,500
Urwerk UR-100V MT Hunter Green
If anyone should be credited with popularising complex wandering digital displays in modern watchmaking, it’s Urwerk. Known for its futuristic, industrial timepieces, Urwerk has fittingly attracted luxury watch collectors like Robert Downey Jr, who wore an Urwerk watch while playing Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Any Urwerk would be an excellent candidate for this guide, but the UR-100V has the distinction of being the only watch on this list that is outfitted on a bracelet.
With its signature satellite hours display, as the hour indication wanders across the bottom half of the dial, the minutes are indicated by a green arrow aligning with the semi-circular 60-minute track beneath. Furthermore, the watch also has two unique counters. According to Urwerk: “The first displays the 555 kilometres covered by the Earth over a period of 20 minutes as it rotates on its own axis. The second shows the 35,740 kilometres travelled by 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 well worth being an exception to my established rule. Price: CHF 58,000 (~US$66,000, excl. VAT)
MB&F Horological Machine N°8 Mark 2 White
To say anything MB&F makes is conventional would be criminal, but before the high-end independent brand offered any sense of an olive branch of familiarity with its Legacy Machine lineup, its name was built upon its artistic Horological Machines. The HM8 pays homage to founder Max Büsser’s love for cars, the automotive world, and his original dream of being a car designer. Its case construction is highly complex, with a mix of grade 5 titanium and CarbonMacrolon plus a “double bubble” sapphire crystal to complete the water-resistant chassis. While its predecessors paired an in-house module with a modified Sellita calibre, the HM8 Mark 2 notably uses an automatic Girard-Perregaux base movement and offers 42 hours of power reserve. Price: CHF 68,000 (~US$77,500, excl. VAT)
Franck Muller Long Island Evolution Master Jumper
The Franck Muller Long Island Evolution Master Jumper, which we recently went hands-on with, is notably the first time and date watch to have three jumping displays – all of which are digital and mechanically driven. Normally I would say less dial text is better, but the watch creatively incorporates a sort of technical sheet and guide printed on the crystal that does not overwhelm the dial. Rather, it leans into the technical nature of the piece. Three jumping displays, indicated through five rotating discs, certainly posed a technical challenge, as lots of torque from the movement was necessary to allow each disc to make its necessary jumps. Leave it to a complications expert like Franck Muller to figure it all out. Price: A$157,600 (~US$99,335, Asia-Pacific exclusive)
A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk
A. Lange & Söhne’s 1994 rebirth established its signature operatic window style. But while it was once just a means to display the date in a large and handsome way, the Zeitwerk introduced this aesthetic as a means to convey the hours and minutes. Both the hours and minutes are jumping indications, and the dial is balanced with traditional running seconds and power reserve placed at 6 and 12. The Zeitwerk has long been a grail-level watch that collectors are fond of due to its balance of traditional and digital elements. The 41.9mm watch, 12.2mm thick, is sold exclusively in precious metal and is driven by a new in-house movement that doubled the power reserve of previous generation models to 72 hours – all while having its Holy Trinity-topping level of movement decoration with German signatures such as a hand-engraved balance cock, Glashütte striping, jewels set in chatons, chamfering, and a 3/4 bridge plate. Price: upon request
Time+Tide Timeless pick: Cartier Tank à Guichets
To return to a Zoolander reference, Cartier is so hot right now – and rare Cartier could not burn any hotter. The brand’s Tank à Guichets are some of the most sought after due to the rising interest in mechanical digital watches, and because they have never been produced in high quantities. And if this design looks old-school, it’s because it is, captivating collectors since its inception in 1928 – long ahead of the rising trend. The example above, once listed by The Keystone, was only one of three. Fingers crossed Cartier one day decides to revives it in its Privé line.