Junghans Introduces the New Meister Automatic

As much as I’m drawn to strange, unusual watches that break with tradition, I have to admit that sometimes I feel like there’s nothing better than a watch that’s simple, elegant, and quietly unassuming. I wrote about a watch like that from my own collection earlier this year, and I really think that everyone should have a watch at their disposal that is just a watch, and not something that has been conceived and designed for a task other than telling the time and serving as a neutral complement to whatever it is you might be wearing or doing on a particular day. The newest watches from Junghans, those that make up the Meister Automatic collection, are definitely in that vein. Inspired by the designs of the 1950s, these watches have an understated elegance that’s really appealing. While it would be easy to slot these into a “dress watch” segment based on today’s trends, I think they’re actually part of an “everyday watch” tradition that that had its heyday in the middle portion of the last century, when what we think of today as classic good looks in a timepiece were solidified in our cultural memory. 

Junghans is a brand that we’re pretty big fans of at Worn & Wound, and while the Max Bill lines tend to get the most attention, watch fans shouldn’t sleep on the Meister watches. “Meister” is German for “masterpiece,” and according to Junghans these watches represent that pinnacle of their design and technical prowess. At first glance, the new Meister Automatics bear a certain resemblance to the Max Bill watches, but there are plenty of little details that set them apart. Notably, the Meister Automatic dials appear to have a very subtle fumé effect, with a darkening toward the outer edge. On the silver and gray dialed watches, the perimeter of the dial is surrounded by a ring holding the minutes track (the gold tone watch has the fumé dial but lacks the outer minute track). This breaks up the dial just a bit and adds just enough contrast to give it some real visual interest.

Credit should also be given to Junghans for using domed plexiglass rather than sapphire – this is not only correct for the period they’re evoking, but has an optical impact that ought to provide some additional warmth and interesting distortions to the dial. Sapphire crystals are certainly necessary in modern dive watches and tool watches that are going to take a beating, but in a watch like this plexi is really the way to go. If you’re going to go vintage inspired, plexi is an obvious choice.

The Meister runs on the J800.1 caliber, a rebranded ETA 2824-2, a movement most watch enthusiasts are likely intimately familiar with at this point. It of course features a date at 3:00, which Jungans have color matched to the dial for a relatively seamless integration. The case measures 38mm in diameter and is only 10mm thick, which is a perfect size for everyday wear.

The new Meister Automatics are available now from Junghans, starting at $1,095. Junghans