A moment of praise for the humble Max Bill
This watch fills up nearly every square on the luxury-watch bingo card except "$6000 starting price," "celebrity spokesperson," and "faded brand resurrected by luxury fashion conglomerate."
It's an iconic design from a genuinely iconic and important designer made by an independent company with a legit and continuous history of innovation going back to the 1800s. It's comfortable, reliable, works with a t-shirt or tuxedo, and exudes confident luxury without a whiff of pretentiousness. Remarkably, it can still be picked up for under $800 in vintage-spec (no-date, plexiglass crystal and hand-wound movement)—a few hundred less if you want quartz, a few hundred more if you want sapphire and an automatic.
I've come to appreciate the Junghans Max Bill as the anti-hype reality check on a watch industry drunk on same-watch/different-brand designs, appropriated heritage, "professional" diver/pilot/adventuretime cosplay, "vintage inspired" tropes, and spec-obsessed marketing. It does so much right for so little that it isn't "an affordable alternative" to anything, it's just a fantastic watch that calls everything else into question...especially the price tags on Cartier's Quartz Tanks and IWC's "designed by us to resemble something Gerald Genta did" Ingenieur—both watches with prices based on the snobbish lie that we should pay a premium for great designs that were commissioned and paid for decades ago or, in the case of the IWC, a tenuous association with the designer who inspired it.
Design obsessive who loves watches but loathes the watch industry and the snobbery and flex-culture that feeds it. What’s a boy to do?
There’s a beautiful simplicity with these dials. Lovely watches!
Looks good on your wrist!
Looks good on your wrist!
38mm--tasteful as can be!
I love the Max Bill. I have a black one.
It's both one of the most iconic watches and under the radar at the same time. The Bauhaus design ethos is timeless and will always be cool.
Couldn’t agree more! You can even get it in radio-controlled and solar.
Cheers 🍻
Thank you for putting to words so eloquently the feelings I have had for so long. Totally agree.
Cheers 🍻
Perfectly placed date window on that one.
Couldn’t agree more! You can even get it in radio-controlled and solar.
The fact that the typography of the date wheel matches the dial is brilliant attention to detail
It’s the perfect watch for the sophisticated gentleman who appreciates tastefully understated, quality design. I own both versions in the original 34mm handwind form, and they are my favorite watches of all time.