A Splash of Red; The New Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope Bauhaus Watch

The new Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope Bauhaus watch continues to tell the story of the minimalist German timepiece, this time in a sleek black-coated steel case with subtle shots of red.

There are a few German and Swiss brands competing in the space for modern Bauhaus-inspired designs right now. Not all are doing it as well as Junghans, however. The Junghans Max Bill series can trace its origins all the way back to 1861 with influential Bauhaus school of design elements that take the wearer straight back to the 20th Century.

Founded in Schramberg, in Germany’s eastern Black Forest, Junghans was discovered by a guy named Erhard Junghans and his brother-in-law Jakob Zeller-Tobler. What many collectors still don’t realise about this profound brand is that by 1903, it was the largest operating watch and clock manufacturer in Germany. It employed 3000 people and by the late 1920s, was supplying watches to the German military. Some of its most famous designs of the 1950s were the Kitchen Clock and the famous teardrop-shaped Timer. Both were designed by Seiss architect Max Bill, a graphic designer who studied at the Bauhaus School of Design.

The legendary designer is responsible for his decisive and pervasive influence on Swiss graphic design. In addition to these achievements, he also applied the same distinctive, minimalist aesthetic to a series of wristwatches in the 1960s. Bill’s “Concrete Art” approach of emphasizing geometric abstraction and colours took him places. It was his grandfather, however, that gave him the vision to pursue his dreams as a watch designer, following his involvement in horology. The first Max Bill watches were small in size, measuring just 34mm in diameter. These original timepieces featured a white dial with luminous dots at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, oversized hour numerals, and three stick hands, together with a double dot orientation at 12 o’clock. Continuing with that Bauhaus spirit of simplicity, the second generation featured Arabic numerals in a rounded font, closely following the trends at the time.

At the forefront of the Max Bill watch collection is a three-handed automatic with a 38mm diameter. Some models following this blueprint present themselves in an unadorned steel case, others are coated in gold or black, culminating in various stealthy and luxurious styles depending on personal preference. This brings us to the new Max Bill watch and a model from the Meister line.

The Appeal of the Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope

The Junghans Chronoscope belongs to the Max Bill watch collection, which has now been around for 70 years, yet the design is still just as relevant and current today. Perhaps because there is still such a huge demand for minimalist German watches? The dials and cases are streamlined, capturing the zeitgeist of the 1950s minimalist era, both in art and fashion. The Chronoscope has always been an effortless-looking timepiece for those in need of a timeless, no-fuss wristwatch. Not so long ago, Junghans introduced a Chronoscope watch that added playful splashes of colour into the hands and date of the dial. Still encompassing a design where form follows function and remaining faithful to the profound sensibilities and simplicity of the design, the model caught many a collector’s attention, giving them yet another reason to expand their collection further.

One recent update to the Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope collection is the Max Bill Chronoscope Bauhaus –  a model that adopts a minimalist design and combines it with those familiar splashes of red. The Bauhaus-inspired model was recently released alongside the Meister Chronoscope Date English watch. The sporty iteration is a chronograph that features bowl-shaped black-filled sub-scales at 12 and 6 o’clock, offering a 30-minute counter and 12-hour totaliser respectively.

Alongside these is a more discreet 9 o’clock sub-dial offering a small seconds function. Junghans’ innovative use of red appears in the hands of these sub-counters and all of these features are set against a muted deep blue dial. Inside the watch is a self-winding movement, the Calibre J880.1, which promises a power reserve of 48 hours. The 40mm stainless steel case has a PVD coating and is integrated with 50-meter water resistance. Finishing a very classic yet sporty vibe, Junghans fits the watch on a brown ostrich leather strap, which secures with a pin buckle fastening.

Cleaner and more simplified in design is the new Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope, however. Its black-coated stainless steel case measuring 40mm looks incredibly sleek and stealthy. Fans of contemporary minimalist watches will appreciate the stark, disciplined clarity of its black dial, equipped with needle-fine red stripes down the centre of the black-coated hands and in the chronograph sub-counters at 12 and 6 o’clock. The Max Bill Chronoscope Bauhaus features a date window at 3 o’clock, balanced by the Junghans lettering at 9 o’clock. The back of the case is made from sapphire crystal and bears a depiction of the Bauhaus image on its surface. Through this, you can catch a glimpse of the self-winding Calibre J880.2 engine, performing with effortlessness and capable of delivering a power reserve of 48 hours.

Perfect for reading the time throughout the night, Junghans experts equip the dots positioned above each hour marker of the new Max Bill Chronoscope Bauhaus with luminous material. The 12-hour and 30-minute functions are perfect for stopwatch timings throughout the day, and the scales sit underneath a piece of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. Completing the simple and pared-back look of this new Junghans watch, the Chronoscope Bauhaus watch features a supple and comfortable black leather strap, complete with a classic steel pin buckle.

Make the Meister Chronoscope Date English or the Max Bill Chronoscope Bauhaus part of your collection and pre-order the watch with us here at Jura Watches today. Simply email our sales team on help@jurawatches.co.uk or call and speak to us on 01335 453453.