When Junghans Gives You Lemons, You Get Two Limited Editions Celebrating the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

Around this time of year, most of us here living in the North East of the U.S. are looking forward to the weather making a turn. But for the good folks living near the alpine valley of Planica, Slovenia, and ski enthusiasts across the globe, the opposite is true. The more snow, the better. That’s because in the next couple of weeks, the quiet valley of Planica will come to life as they’ll host the 54th edition of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Fans and supporters alike will bear witness to high-level winter athletes from all over the world as they’ll compete in competitions such as ski jumping, cross country skiing, and nordic combined.

Time is an important factor across the board here. A second too slow could be the difference between second place or championship glory. Or even the slightest bit of bad timing could put a skier in a really bad spot, especially if they’re cutting in and out downhill at 80 mph, or landing a jump as high as 90 feet. Either way you look at it, it would behoove you to have an accurate watch, whether you’re a competitor, or just a spectator keeping score at home.

The Official Timekeeper of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships isn’t a brand that you, or I would expect – and that brand is Junghans. When I hear the name Junghans, my thoughts immediately go to thoughtfully designed dress-casual watches, like the Max Bill or the Meister. But the Schramberg, Germany based brand is more than meets the eye. Turns out they’ve been at the helm of timekeeping for the event for three years running, and to celebrate the sporting event in 2023, they’ve announced two vibrant limited edition head-turners in the 1972 Competition and 1972 Chronoscope Quartz FIS Edition Lemon.

At a glance, these two don’t represent the quintessential Junghans watch, and that’s a really good thing. Right off the bat, the 1972 Competition FIS Edition Lemon (1972 Competition for short) is proof of that with its oblong steel case and crown/pusher placement at twelve. To get a better understanding of the case shape, let’s quantify it, shall we? The 1927 Competition measures 45.5mm horizontally and 41mm vertically, giving the case a unique ellipse shape. The crown is centered at the top of the case and is balanced by a set of pushers.

As the name suggests, the dial has this bright yellow tone that is offset by a pair of black subdials that too have the same oval shape as the case. The only sign of numerals reside within the subdials, date window, and the tachymeter scale in the rehaut. The rehaut is a neat trait as it adds depth to the case by widening at the sides and narrowing at the top and bottom. 

Ticking within the 1972 Competition is the Junghans automatic caliber J880.5 movement. The 42 hour power reserve equipped movement is based off of the ETA/Valjoux 7750 and powers the 30 minute chronograph counter, as well as the main time.

The counterpart to the 1972 Competition is the 1972 Chronoscope Quartz, which is a watch that’ll look more familiar as far as the standard chronograph goes. The design approach for the case is opposite to that of the 1972 Competition. Instead of the rounded nature of the 1972 Competition, the 1972 Chronoscope sports more of an angular case and jagged lines. The heavily knurled crown is placed traditionally at three o’clock and nestles into a set of crown guards.

The dial also gets the lemon treatment and the subdials, like the case, have an edginess to their silhouette. The 1/5 stop seconds display located at six blends into the dial and is outlined by its own markers. Along with an elapsed time bezel, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to track a run or event time. The 1972 Chronoscope Quartz is powered by the Junghans Caliber J645.83, which is based on the Rhonda 3520.D, has an approximate battery life of 54 months, and is protected by a steel caseback adorned with an engraving of a ski jump competitor.

If you are planning on tuning into the event at the end of the month, then be on the lookout for these two limited editions, especially on the wrist of Junghans ambassador and ski flying world champion Karl Geiger. Both timepieces come on a color matching perforated leather strap and each are just limited to 150 pieces. The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships are slated to start on the 21st of this month. Junghans