A simple timepiece with date on a sunray brushed black dial?

Yes, the Junghans Meister Fein Automatic is that, but, as part of the Meister collection, which first started in Germany in the 1930s, it’s taken the better part of 90 years for that effortless simplicity to evolve to be so confident, so self-assured and so eye-catchingly graceful.

Perhaps it all stems from a strong sense of continuity. Values that form the foundations for the success story of Junghans, founded in Schramberg in the Black Forest in 1861, include attention rigorous to detail, exacting attention to design and an insistence on quality and technical expertise.

Evolved from Art Deco and Bauhaus, some of the most powerful movements in the history of design, the Junghans Meister Fein encapsulates the brand’s core values – namely elegant precision – to produce a classic yet contemporary timepiece.

Meister Fein and the Meister collection has remained one of Junghans’ best- selling lines since the beginning. The “Meister” designation is still synonymous with the watch manufacturer’s most stylish watches. The narrow bezel of the Meister Fein influences the disarmingly simplistic design of the dial. The dashing elongated hour markers and bar pointers reference design characteristics of bygone Meister models, while still managing to look right up to the minute.

Encased in stainless steel, the 39.5mm Meister Fein 27/4154 features a galvanic black dial with silver baton indices and slender silver hour, minute and second hands. A discreet date window is tucked just left of the 3 o’ clock indices so as to maintain the uniformity of the overall design. The crystal covering the dial is made of domed anti-reflective sapphire, while on the reverse, the screw-down exhibition caseback is made of mineral crystal.

Water resistant to 50 meters, the watch runs on a Junghans J800.1 automatic movement. This has as its base the ever reliable ETA 2824-2 movement with a 38-hour power reserve. The 2824-2 is enthusiastically endorsed by most watch lovers, bloggers, and marketers as a “workhorse movement,” and it never fails to live up to expectations. Like the Meister Fein itself, the 2824-2 has evolved over a long time period of time and fully deserves its reputation as a timekeeping classic.

Just to add that extra little touch of flair and insouciance, the watch doesn’t come on something as obvious as a black strap, instead it comes on a strap of brown leather or there’s the ultra-sleek Milanese bracelet.

With its tough stainless steel exterior, its streamlined proportions, and a robust movement designed for the long haul, the Meister Fein is destined to retain plenty of wrist appeal for many years to come.

Tech Specs

Reference 27/4154.00

Movement: J800.1 automatic movement (base ETA 2824-2), 38 hours power reserve
Case: 39.5mm x 10.3mm, Polished stainless steel, 50 meters water resistance
Dial: Black with sunray brush
Strap: Brown leather strap with stainless steel buckle, milanaise bracelet with safety buckle
Price: USD 1,450