This “The Golden Hour” is the third watch I have reviewed from London-based Mr. Jones Watch with a dial display designed by artist Andy Wilx, including a previous version of The Golden Hour from 2022, and the Mr. Jones Watch The Silent Thief. That watch featured a similar display but with a bird as the focus of the dial artwork, as opposed to a bee. Both The Silent Thief and The Golden Hour watches were inspired by the historical interest and culture of English gardens. The artwork is highly detailed and combines natural elements with geometric patterns and radial symmetry. They even manage to tell the time! Now I return to The Golden Hour with a slightly upgraded, artistically changed, and non-limited edition version of the composition. The price for this and some other Mr. Jones Watches XL mechanical products has gone up a bit, but these still represent a good value and currently contain well-made and reliable Swiss Made automatic movements.

Unlike The Silent Thief, with its natural polished steel case, The Golden Hour uses a black PVD-coated steel case, though they are the same size (45mm wide) and water resistant to 50 meters with a flat sapphire crystal over the dial. Time is read via two moving discs. The hour disc looks similar to a compass display, and the red arrow is where you read the current hour. Another disc that has the flowers printed on it indicates the minutes with the minute hand being the red-colored flower. It isn’t the most legible indicator in the world, but it effectively combines a decorative, artistic dial with the ability to know the time. As I often say about most Mr. Jones Watches, this product is about wearing art that tells the time, not a traditional tool watch-wearing experience.

Andy Wilx designed The Silent Thief with a very discreet seconds indicator in the eye of the magpie. This dial has a small disc under the bee that indicates the running seconds. The dial focuses on the bee in the center, with the gold hues applied using real gold leaf (there are two shades of gold on the dial). The original The Golden Hour had a crown on the dial as the minute marker, which has been changed into a flower for this version. I think it was nice that Mr. Jones Watches wanted to return The Golden Hour as part of its core collection, but also that this non-limited edition is somewhat different from the previous version. Collectors appreciate those minor differences for sure. All of these dials are produced in-house by Mr. Jones Watches, and such effort represents the flagship artisanal work the brand is currently known for.

While the original The Golden Hour used a Swiss Made STP movement, Mr. Jones Watches has since moved to using Swiss Made Sellita movements. Accordingly, this version of The Golden Hour (as well as the current versions of The Silent Thief) uses the Sellita SW200 automatic movement which operates at 4Hz with roughly two days of power reserve. These are extremely robust and reliable movements, which offer a good combination of value and performance. The new casebacks of The Golden Hour feature text printed on a sapphire crystal, which allows for a view into the gold-hued version of the SW200 automatic movement.

The black and mostly gold tones used for this 2024 version of The Mr. Jones The Golden Hour watch are very attractive. This is a pretty watch, despite its larger size and unique presentation. Mr. Jones Watches is also getting better with its straps, making them feel more integrated into the overall artistry of the watch. In this instance, the black leather strap is given matching gold-toned stitching to better meld with the dial. I still think that people who buy The Golden Hour can further upgrade the look by fitting it with a more elaborately colored or textured strap. Note that the Mr. Jones Watches 45mm wide XL case uses 22mm wide straps, and the stock straps are fitted using quick-release spring bars for easy removal.

While these watches are still solidly priced under $1,000, the cost for a Mr. Jones watch has been steadily going up. Nevertheless, the products have been upgraded a bit and the brand continues to invest in interesting creative ideas and artistic techniques. About two years ago when I reviewed The Silent Thief, it had a retail price of £495. Now, just a couple years later (and with a new movement), that same watch costs £695 ($795 USD). Again, even with the big jump in price, Mr. Jones Watches offers a good value for a product that doesn’t look like anything else on the market. Accordingly, price for this 2024 non-limited edition version of The Mr. Jones Watch The Golden Hour is £695. Learn more at The Mr. Jones Watches website.