Yesterday I wrote on Facebook that Junghans justifiably sits with three watches in the finals of „Goldene Unruh 2015“ (Annual Watch Awards/Germany). Just a few hours later I received a press release with a new model from the Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope line-up. And I must say that I am quite impressed…
You could possibly dispute the colour of the wristband, but I think everything else on the watch – at least at first sight – is simply well-made. Primarily the beige numerals on the grey dial, which is reminiscent of aged tritium in vintage watches. Many watch collectors love this look. And grey clock faces seem to be heavily trending anyway (see here and here).
The price of this watch goes for 1,645 Euros (ca. $ 1.870) – and thereby in a common price structure for chronographs of this category. Inside beats the caliber J800.2 – a modifed ETA/Valjoux 7750.
Tip: To whom this still seems too expensive, you can of course scout for older and used Chronoscopes or „Meister“ models as well – or turn to the more affordable three-handed versions of the Max Bill. Likewise very puristic and beautiful. You can get these watches in the Quartz version for around as little as 500 Euros on the web at e.g. amazon (Partnerlink/Werbung*) – the automatic versions cost around 700 to 800 Euros . You can naturally find these watches on ebay with corresponding affordability. In the end everyone has to make a decision whether he or she prefers new or used. Either way a good choice.
From the kitchen clock to the design icon
Whoever has caught the Max Bill fever can also scout out table, wall, and kitchen clocks (50’s/60’s) on the web. Just a simple bit of Googling and there’s a lot to discover. Old and new. And especially the wall clocks are genuine classics with plenty nostalgic charm.
More info on this from the Junghans press release:
„The Max Bill line by Junghans – keeping with the premise that ‚form follows function‘, the artist and Bauhaus student Max Bill has designed a timepiece of a special kind. The logical clock face design of the kitchen clock from the year 1956, as Max Bill wrote wall clock design history, became the characteristic feature of his timepieces and in 1961 introduced the design of the first Max Bill wristwatch. The artist placed a particular emphasis on the connection between practical value and beauty. With constructional clarity and the aspiration for aesthetic perfection, the design classics of the Max Bill line by Junghans are, to this day, manufactured almost unchanged.“
Photo: Junghans Uhrenfabrik
