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Junghans max bill Edition 2017

Junghans max bill Edition 2017

Junghans max bill Edition 2017

If you Google Bauhaus watches, you will come across endless examples of homage watches, all copying Junghans and their max bill collection.

Born in 1908 in Winterthur, Switzerland, Max Bill was one of the greatest designers of the XXth century. Initially a silversmith apprentice, he went on to study at the Bauhaus in Dessau, where he had Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Joseph Albers and others as teachers. After his years at Dessau he moved back to Zurich, where, as many other Bauhaus alumni, he worked in many different fields of visual arts, he was a sculptor, an architect, graphic designer painter and later even an industrial designer.

By the 1950s, he’s considered to be one of the most influential Swiss designers, and he was among the founders of the Ulm School of Design in Germany.

In his works, Max Bill was pursuing constructive clarity and precise proportions, applying the Bauhaus philosophy of “form follows function” in every detail. A good example of his work are the watches and clocks he designed for Junghans, one of his long-time clients.

Junghans max bill Edition 2017

Junghans max bill Edition 2017

The Junghans max bill Edition 2017 has two versions: a more minimalist lined index dial and a numbered dial featuring the Max Bill typography. Both versions have their back decorated with the “variation 1” print from the range of “grafische reihen” (graphic series) by Max Bill. At a closer look, you will notice that with “variation 1” the side of a polygon forms simultaneously the side of the next polygon. It was created in the early years of his career while attending Bauhaus in Dessau.

Junghans max bill Edition 2017 — limited edition collector's set

Junghans max bill Edition 2017 — limited edition collector’s set

For die-hard fans of Bauhaus design, Junghans is presenting a limited edition set that besides the watch also includes a Max Bill quartz table clock, the back of which also displays the “variation 1”. Actually, it was this table clock, designed in 1956, that lead to the design of the Max Bill watches in 1961.

The max bill Edition 2017 set is limited to 222, a number derived from 22, which had a particular significance for Max Bill. Being born on December 22, 1908, and having married his wife Binia on January 22, 1931, he always reserved the no. 22 of limited art works for himself.

Junghans max bill Edition 2017 — limited edition collector’s set

Technical specs

Wristwatch

Ref no.: 041/4762.00 (arabic dial) and 041/4763.00 (lined indexes)

Movement: J645.33 quartz movement

Case: Stainless steel Ø 38.0 mm, height 7.9 mm, 4-times screwed mineral crystal back, printed on the inside with “variation 1” from one of the “grafische reihen” (graphic series), domed hard plexiglass with coating for enhanced scratch resistance

Dial/hands: Matt fine silver-plated, dial markings and hands with environmentally-friendly Super Luminova luminous material

Strap: Calfskin strap with stainless steel buckle, blue or green lining leather to match the limited edition print

Water resistance: Splash resistant

MSRP: $545 US

 

Table clock from the collectors’ set

Movement: J738 quartz movement

Case: Wooden case, white silk-matt 164 x 174 mm, diamond-polished aluminium ring, mineral crystal, back printed with limited edition print

Dial/hands: White matt, polished hands

MSRP of the set: $1,089 US

www.junghans.de/en.html

As a graphic designer, I'm fascinated by the crossroads between technology and aesthetics. Horology is one of these crafts, where art and engineering come together to produce mechanical wonders that grace the eye. WatchPaper was born from the desire to create an online tool where I can share my passion for watches.