ReviewJunghans’s Meister Worldtimer: The Modern, Minimalistic German Globetrotter

Dialling back over a century and a half ago, the Schramberg valley of Germany’s Black Forest was a hidden heartland of clockmaking mastery. Where Erhard Junghans, founded his namesake horlogerie haus in 1861 and built it to become the world’s largest manufacturer of cuckoo clocks up until the dawn of the 20th century. As Junghans’ clock-building metamorphism occurred not only through the 19th and 20th centuries, but also in the Bauhaus era, their aesthetics heavily tilted towards functionality, anti-abstract silhouettes, and clear-cut designs—typical German. However, through decades of evolution, Junghans’s timepieces have always had a devotion towards quality, timelessness, and accessibility. Their Meister collection is a paean of this precise ethos. Even with a complication that can tremendously increase the number of design elements, the German brand manage to pare things down. Case in point: the Meister Worldtimer by Junghans—a complex yet minimalist, retro-styled timepiece designed for the geographically capricious and ‘old money’ watch folks.

Classic Junghans, The Mid-Century Chic Meister Worldtimer

Being the newest member of Junghans’ Meister line, the Meister World timer watches respects all of Junghans’s traditional watchmaking codes, yet offers a fresh and clean take on modern-day world-timers. It’s a lovely blend of Bauhausian chic and late-’70s crispness. At first glance itself, it hits the right notes of classic elegance, sophistication, and exploration. Whether you’re wearing this to a high-profile corporate meeting or a 3:00pm game of polo, it’s just the right medium of simplicity and sophistication that makes this timepiece stand out.

Modern, minimalist and ready for exploration.

Clear-cut German finesse.

Absolutely regal, navy never disappoints.

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Meister Worldtimer – Simple Elegance, Always

In terms of form, the case of the Junghans Meister Worldtimer measures 40.4mm in diameter and 10.5mm in thickness, crafted out of steel, with or without a rose gold PVD treatment. The case features a domed glass that comes either in either sapphire crystal or Plexiglas. The minimalistic convex shape causes it to have a nearly non-existent bezel, which enhances the unobstructed view of the world-timer on display. The lugs too are highly clean, simple but slightly curved.

Navy, never disappoints.

Corporate meeting or tee off at 5. The Meister Worldtimer suits all.

Crisp, clear, and sharp.

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Meister Worldtimer – Globetrotter At Heart

The main attraction here is undoubtedly the 24-hour display. The dial features a 24-hour ring for the 24 main time zones. The two city rings are highlighted in either black or brown hues, just for added contrast. To adjust the 24-hour timer, the crown must be in the first pulled-out position and wound clockwise to push a time zone forward and counter-clockwise to do the opposite. Evidently, the central time doesn’t feature any hour numerals. Instead, there are elongated indexes, applied ones for three, six, nine and 12 o’clock. The hour and minute hands have a lume application to ensure you can read time even when light is low. Variations include dials in white or navy blue, and straps in leather or steel.

As you flip the timepiece over, the mechanical mastery of the automatic calibre J820.5 calibre is elegantly put on display, visible through the glass, while it offers a 42-hour power reserve, running at frequency of 4Hz (28,800vph). Understandably, it seems like nothing much is happening here. However, the Germans do believe that less is more after all, and in that vein, this watch presents a sweet dose of functionality, minimalism, and retro-elegance.