## The Watch | Spec | Detail | |---|---| | Brand | [[Junghans]] | | Model | Max Bill Automatic (Sapphire Crystal edition) | | Size | 38mm | | Thickness | ~10mm | | Lug-to-lug | 46mm | | Lug width | 20mm | | Movement | J800.1 (ETA 2824-2 base) | | Power reserve | ~38 hours | | Water resistance | 50m | | Crystal | Sapphire (flat, unlike the domed Plexiglas on the standard model) | | Dial | White | | Strap | Leather | ![[Pasted image 20260815132834.png]] ## Role in My Collection Fills the **dress watch** slot. The only piece in my collection defined entirely by aesthetics rather than function. The design itself is the complication. ## Why I Chose It - One of the most significant pieces of industrial design in watchmaking — Max Bill drew every detail in 1961 - 38mm wears thin and elegant, disappears under a cuff - The Sapphire Crystal edition is more practical than the Plexiglas original (scratch-resistant) - Bauhaus minimalism without being cold — there's warmth in the proportions - Beautiful on leather, the quintessential dress-watch-on-strap ## The Design Max Bill was a Bauhaus-trained architect (student of Kandinsky, Klee, and Gropius) and the first rector of the Ulm School of Design. He designed a wall clock for Junghans in 1956 (now in MoMA's permanent collection), then translated that language into a wristwatch in 1961. The design has been in continuous production for over 60 years, essentially unchanged. Key details: convex proportions, thin stick indices, minute markers that step inward at 5-minute intervals, the specific typeface for the numerals. All drawn by Bill himself. ## See Also - [[Junghans]] — brand overview - [[My Watch Collection]] - [[Watch Wish List]] — [[Nomos]] Lambda is the future upgrade in this slot