Is the Prestex Marcato Worth It? Our Verdict on the New Jumping‑Hour Release

Prestex’s new Marcato arrives with the kind of quiet confidence only a well‑executed mechanical complication can justify — and after spending time with it, that confidence feels earned.

Announced earlier this year as a fresh take on one of watchmaking’s most charming quirks, the jumping hour, the Marcato has now landed as a finished, working piece that you can finally pick up, strap on and experience in motion.

First Impressions

Prestex calls it “a big moment when a new watch finally arrives,” and they’re right: drawings and prototypes can only take you so far. The Marcato feels more refined in the metal than its early visuals suggested — slim, balanced and immediately distinctive thanks to its unconventional hour aperture placement at 9 o’clock. It’s a small design decision that makes a big difference. At 12, the minute hand can obscure the jump; at 3, it risks looking like a date window. At 9, it reads cleanly, naturally, and with a pleasing left‑to‑right logic: hour, then minutes.

The Jumping Hour, Reimagined

The complication itself is a delight. Instead of an hour hand sweeping around the dial, the Marcato displays the hour digitally, snapping to the next numeral the moment the minute hand hits 60. It’s a tiny piece of mechanical theatre precise, immediate and oddly satisfying to watch, especially knowing it happens 24 times a day whether you’re paying attention or not.

Prestex’s twist is not just aesthetic. Inside sits the Swiss-made Sellita SW300, chosen deliberately over the more common SW200 for its refinement, longer power reserve and crucially, its slimmer profile — about one millimetre thinner, which matters when you’re accommodating a jumping-hour module without creating a bulky case.

Design Notes & Naming

The name “Marcato” comes from musical notation, meaning “marked” or “accented” — a nod from brand owner Neil Duckworth, himself a musician, to the emphatic snap of the hour change. It’s a thoughtful touch, and one that gives the watch a sense of personality beyond its mechanics.

Aesthetically, the Marcato feels like Prestex at its best: vintage British cues, contemporary proportions and a clear respect for the brand’s heritage, revived from the original Prestex company founded in the 1920s by Duckworth’s grandfather.

Value & Variations

Perhaps the most striking part of the Marcato story is the price. Jumping-hour watches are rare, mechanically complex and usually expensive. Prestex has managed to deliver the complication, the higher-spec SW300 movement and a bespoke module for £1,950 — a figure that feels almost mischievous given what’s inside the case.

Production is limited to 300 pieces across four dial variations, with 75 individually numbered examples of each — enough to feel special without drifting into inaccessible territory.

The Prestex Marcato is a clever, characterful watch that punches well above its price point. The jumping hour is executed with charm and precision; the movement choice is thoughtful; the design is distinctive without being eccentric. It’s the kind of watch that feels genuinely different on the wrist — not because it’s trying too hard, but because every decision has been made with purpose.

For enthusiasts who want a mechanical complication with personality (and without the usual eye-watering cost), the Marcato is a standout arrival.