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Round-UpPersonification Of Simplicity: Five Of The Finest New Watches By Junghans

With a long and illustrious history of 160 years, Junghans have become a formidable challenger to the dominance of the Swiss players in the horological industry. With a repertoire of sublime collections, including the iconic Max Bill range, the German brand are recognised for their Bauhaus-inspired aesthetic, no-fuss designs and state-of-the-art technology. Here are five of their finest new offerings of 2021

Alind Chauhan August 18, 2021

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Known for crafting timepieces that present sheer quality, reliability and precision, German watch manufacturer Junghans are celebrating their 160th anniversary this year. Since their inception, the brand have followed the philosophy of combining nuanced designs with high functionality, and 2021 is no different. Perfectly encapsulating every attribute that Junghans’ timepieces are known for, the new 2021 launches exhibit clean lines, Bauhaus-inspired aesthetics and minimalist design without compromising on their attention to the details and performance. The novelties not only carry forward the glorious legacy of the brand but also enhance their value as a formidable challenger to the hegemony of Swiss watchmaking. Let’s take a closer look at some of the finest new offerings by this very impressive German brand.

Junghans-Meister-Fein-Automatic — The 2021 novelties from Junghans showcase the sophistication and minimalism that the German brand are known for. This Meister Fein Automatic, for instance, is a beautiful blend of style and substance. Its apt German name translates to ‘master fine’

Form A Edition 160

Paying homage to the long and illustrious history of Junghans, the Form A Edition 160 exemplifies the brand’s passion for modern German industrial design. Inspired by their place of origin—the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg—it is a testimony of the watchmakers’ relentless pursuit of innovation and expertise in watchmaking. Sized at 39.3mm, the Form A Edition 160 offers a bowl-shaped steel case with a matt black PVD coating and a matching dial that looks well balanced with bold red printing at the 12 and six o’clock positions and on the hour and minute hands. The grey-coloured hour markers stand in contrast with the red hue and are coated with an environmentally friendly luminous substance that ensures optimal readability even in low light conditions. Beating under the hood is the J800.2, a self-winding movement, which provides a minimum power reserve of 38 hours and is hidden behind a solid caseback with an engraving of a Black Forest motif. However, the show-stealer of the Form A Edition 160 is its grey strap that comes with red accents in the form of coloured stitching on either side. Made of wool and leather, the strap is attached to a buckle, adorned with the icon of a red ‘Bollenhut’—a headdress topped with distinctive pompoms that has been worn by the women in the Black Forest region since the 1750s. Limited to just 600 units, the timepiece is water-resistant up to 50m.

Max Bill Kleine Automatic

Offering a perfect combination of minimalistic style and maximal functionality, the Max Bill timepieces have largely remained the same since their inception in 1967. However, in recent years, Junghans have begun to experiment with colours, case finishing, etc, which have really opened up the range without any drastic changes in the design of the timepieces. The Max Bill Kleine Automatic is an ideal companion for those looking for an accessory that exemplifies top-notch accuracy, fine details, and skilful craftsmanship. Presented in a 34mm polished stainless steel case, the watch features a matt silver-plated dial with Arabic hour indices, luminous dot markers and timekeeping hands. Except for a date aperture at three o’clock, there are no additional decorations or complications on the dial, and it looks clean and perfectly legible. Powered by the self-winding movement, J800.1, the Max Bill Kleine Automatic can store a power reserve of 38 hours. The timepiece is secured to the wrist with the help of an elegant tan leather strap that’s fastened with a stainless steel buckle.

Junghans max bill

Meister Fein Automatic

To mark the 160th anniversary of their foundation, Junghans added these brand-new iterations to their Meister collection. Available with a dial in matt-silver or galvanic black with a sunray finished, the Meister Fein Automatic is a beautiful blend of style and substance. Housed in a 39.5mm polished stainless-steel case, the timepiece offers an ergonomic design with short lugs that makes it super-comfortable to wear for a wide range of wrist sizes. Meanwhile, the dial of the watch instantly grabs attention with its simple yet elegant looks. It comes with baton-shaped timekeeping hands and elongated hour indices, which curve down towards the periphery of the dial.

On turning the timepiece over, we get a glimpse of the nicely decorated calibre J800.1, through an exhibition caseback protected by scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Based on the automatic movement, ETA 2824-2, the calibre is well-tested and provides top-notch performance and accuracy, making it a perfect choice for this watch. The Meister Fein Automatic is worn with a leather strap that gives a charming touch to the watch. The black dial comes with a brown strap and the silvery dial with grey.

1972 Automatic FIS Edition

Introduced to mark their partnership with the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships—a biennial Nordic skiing event organised by the International Ski Federation (FIS)—the 1972 Automatic FIS Edition is probably the coolest and funkiest watch by Junghans yet. Housed in a beefy 46.9mm stainless steel cushion-shaped case, the timepiece has a vintage look and comes with two screw-down crowns positioned at two and four o’clock. What steals the limelight from the rest of the attributes of the watch is its dial that features a dual-coloured GMT ring in red and blue. Rotatable both clockwise and anti-clockwise, using the crown located at two o’clock, this ring can give you the time in a secondary time zone, via the central timekeeping hands themselves. There’s another ring in a dark blue hue, which features broad hour indices and a minute track, coated with a luminous material. The rest of the dial is snowy white and displays a central, three-hand timekeeping system, along with a date aperture at three. The timepiece is equipped with a movement that features a three-point shock absorbing system, which provides effective protection to the calibre. Beating at a frequency of 28,800vph, this calibre J830 can withstand magnetic fields and offers a power reserve of 48 hours. Water-resistant up to 300m, the 1972 Automatic FIS Edition sports a screw-down caseback engraved with the FIS Nordic World Championships logo and is paired with an almost integrated stainless steel bracelet.