Among Junghans’s four collections, the Meister is arguably the one which affords the brand’s designers the greatest freedom to flex their creative muscles. Unlike the minimalist Max Bill, the classic Erhard Junghans, or the sporty Performance collections, the Meister line isn’t based on a single theme. Rather, watches from the collection draw their inspiration from the brand’s timepieces produced from the 1930s to the 1960s, which encompasses a wide range of design languages and subject matters.

For 2016, Junghans has added two notable lines to the Meister collection based on old pilot’s and driver’s watches. The Meister Driver Chronoscope is part of the latter, and styled like a vintage chronograph that will belong on a driver’s wrist. According to the brand, automobiles built by Maybach in the 1930s and Mercedes in the 1950s were the inspiration behind the new watch. Their influence on the timepiece’s vintage styling is easily seen in the typeface used on the dial, as well as the usage of contrast between different dial elements. Even the dial colours look appropriately aged with their earth tones and low saturation. Less obvious, though, are the choices of plexiglass for the watch’s crystal, and the case back design, which secures the movement to the watch with four screws à la some vintage timepieces.

In a departure from the typical Valjoux 7750, Junghans has opted to power the Meister Driver Chronoscope with the self-winding J880.3 movement – an ETA 2892 calibre with Dubois Dépraz’s 2030 module stacked on it for the chronograph function. As a result, the chronograph layout is slightly unusual with the minute totaliser at nine o’clock, and the small seconds sub-dial at three o’clock instead.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 40.8mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph
• Power Reserve: 42 hours
• Movement Self-winding J880.3 movement consisting of an ETA 2892-2 base with a Dubois Dépraz 2030 chronograph module; 42-hour power reserve
  Material: Steel
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
  Strap: Maroon/brown calfskin strap with ardillon buckle, or steel bracelet

This article was first published in World of Watches.