A German flying saucer
I'm always reminded of a 50's movies UFO when I look at the Junghans Max Bill profile. Its curved crystal and case back, together with the lugs angled downward are exactly what a flying saucer would look like at landing. Junghans only had to add a death ray projector to the crown to complete the conversion.
Despite this deplorable omission the Max Bill is fantastic, not only because of what it is, but also because of what you won't find there. It's the perfect well designed minimalist watch. A true product of the Bauhaus school of design.
Another thing that you won't find on my Max Bill Bauhaus are reflections from the crystal. The standard Max Bill all had an acrylic crystal that is optically clear and free of reflections, but mine has a sapphire that was carefully shaped to mimic the acrylic dome of the original models.
And with any other watch, taking these pictures in direct sunlight would have been like trying to photo shoot a 80's disco ball. But not the Max Bill which is as clear and reflection free as possible. I don't know how many layers of AR were used by Junghans to achieve this feat, but they earned my respect for this right here and now.
I tried moving a bit around to try different angles, and the results are still the same: The crystal remains...crystal clear.
The only reasons I don't wear my Max Bill more often is the lack of formal occasions I attend and the fact that its all dial no bezel design makes it look much larger than it's true 37.8mm size.
I'm a big fan of watches that are interesting because they are either unique, have interesting features, well designed or simply offer a great value for their price.
The day the watch stood still....
junghans max bill truly is a role model of bauhaus watch design. its a timeless beauty
Agreed, the Max Bill is a minimalist design that does not not look cheap or careless, and is completely functional at the same time. That's not very easy to achieve.
I love my Max Bill Chronoscope but I would love it more without the date window.
This chap prefers the Max Bill Bauhaus design. He was seen wearing one while directing the corralling of humans for his quest of delicious Human Bisque.
Agreed, the Max Bill is a minimalist design that does not not look cheap or careless, and is completely functional at the same time. That's not very easy to achieve.
It even has functional lume. It's not a great lume, but it's there and it does the job.
I love my Max Bill Chronoscope but I would love it more without the date window.
What threw me off the Chronoscope is the lack of a second's hand.
What threw me off the Chronoscope is the lack of a second's hand.
Annoying, that is true. I think they were going for the "Up and Down" vintage chrono look to better mesh with the bauhaus design. It works visually, so I cheerfully put up with it.
The sapphire crystal is just curved around and above the dial and is not thick at all, but I can see how it gives the impression of thickness at first glance. The Max Bill is also 10mm thick overall, crystal included, which isn't bad at all considering it house a 2824 based automatic movement. The position of the date window is dictated by the dial geometry: There is a curvature to the dial and it slope downward so the date window is about where the last flat surface is, so making the watch smaller would not have change a lot regarding to relative date position.
Gorgeous! Max Bill Bauhaus are my next watch purchase. 🤤