Revue Thommen
Saltarello
A compact 1990s Revue Thommen Saltarello combining a true jumping hour with separate minute and subsidiary-seconds displays.
- Reference
- 5222001
- Movement
- A. Schild AS 1727, manual wind, 17 jewels
- Current Market Value
- $US$900–1,200 (market indication; acquired for US$650)
- Year
- 1990s
- Case
- Stainless steel with gold-tone / gold-plated elements
- Size
- 33.5 mm diameter; 41 mm lug-to-lug; 7 mm thick; 18 mm lug width mm
- Condition
- Excellent
- Gender
- Men / Unisex
- Acquired
- 2026
Condition
Excellent pre-owned condition. Recently serviced. The jumping-hour mechanism functions correctly, although according to the seller the hour currently jumps slightly early. Original leather strap with non-original buckle. Original box and papers included, together with an additional wine-colored strap.
Why I bought it
This watch immediately interested me because it combines a true jumping hour with one of my favorite ways of displaying the minutes. The jumping hour has its own aperture at 12, while the minute hand travels around a separate upper scale without ever interfering with the hour window. The subsidiary seconds below complete a very unusual display. At only 33.5 mm and 7 mm thick, it is also remarkably compact for a mechanical jumping-hour watch. I particularly like that it achieves an unusual complication without needing an oversized case.
The Revue Thommen Saltarello Ref. 5222001 is a Swiss mechanical jumping-hour watch from the 1990s, combining an unusual time display with surprisingly restrained dimensions.
The jumping hour appears through an aperture at 12 o'clock. Immediately below it is the minute display, with a central hand reading against a dedicated 0–60 scale. A separate subsidiary dial in the lower half of the watch displays the running seconds.
This arrangement is particularly interesting because the minute indication never interferes with the jumping-hour aperture. At the change of the hour, the hour numeral can make its instantaneous jump without being hidden behind the minute hand.
Inside is the manually wound A. Schild AS 1727, a 17-jewel Swiss movement adapted for the jumping-hour display.
The silvered dial combines several different textures. The outer surface has a fine guilloché-style pattern, while the overlapping circular displays create an asymmetric figure-eight arrangement. Despite the unusual complication, the watch remains relatively understated.
The dimensions are particularly appealing: approximately 33.5 mm across, 41 mm lug-to-lug and only 7 mm thick, with an 18 mm lug width.
This example is in excellent condition and was recently serviced. According to the seller, the jumping-hour mechanism functions properly, although the hour currently changes slightly ahead of the exact top of the hour. It retains its original leather strap, although the buckle is a replacement. The original box and papers are included, as well as an additional wine-colored strap.
The Saltarello is a good example of the experimentation with alternative mechanical time displays that continued into the 1990s. Rather than recreating the appearance of a 1970s mechanical digital watch, it takes the jumping-hour complication in a more traditional dress-watch direction.