TRUE, MeisterSinger may have churned out conventional produce in the past. But largely the German watchmaker has stuck to creating one-hand timepieces (these convey a “relaxed perception of time,” it says). Fact is, it’s a bit difficult to picture the brand’s logo lumped together with two watch hands.
In 2018 the watch world’s one-hand specialist showcased its knack for design — it could always make vintage-y looks appear more contemporary — via a collection that’s fresh and Millennial-ish. Called the Metris, the pieces belonging in it are defined by a mix of interesting retro-flavored cases and dials with modern elements, a blocky font and a round date window, to be specific. Rendered in silver, ivory, black and blue, the dial is color-matched to white, blue or red hands, as well as to black, gray or light blue Nato straps. Really cool stuff, this.
Along with the release of the Metris, MeisterSinger also rendered four of its collections — Circularis Power Reserve, Salthora Meta, Perigraph, No.03 — in blacked-out wardrobes. It calls them the Black Line.
A fifth collection now joins the quartet; the Metris. In this outfit the watch gets a black (really black) dial paired with a black, sandblast-finish, 38-millimeter steel case. DLC protects the surface of the case, so it’s likely the watch is as tough as it looks. The screw-down crown receives the same treatment.
MeisterSinger, impressively, did not go lazy with the Metris Black Line’s dial; it could have just slapped on the “regular” Metris’s black dial and have been done with it. Instead, it rendered the numerals (always double-digit, by the way, for symmetry), minute and second markers, hand and inscriptions in beige. The effect is sort of vintage looking. But the watchmaker placed a dab of red on the tip of the hand. The date numeral has turned red over a beige background, too (rather than black on white). This scarlet touch updated the watch’s styling.
A leather strap in a cognac shade replaces the Nato straps of the other Metris pieces. As a result, the Metris Black Line does not look that rugged. It’s smart casual, if you will.
Powering the watch is still the self-winding cal. ETA 2824-2 workhorse that’s kitted with a date disc. It has 25 jewels, operates at a frequency of 28,800vph and has a 38-hour power reserve. So, nothing fancy here, nothing added on that isn’t really necessary.
Pretty much sums up why MeisterSingers only have one hand, too.
