Introducing the Junghans 1972 Competition Limited Edition Watches
Saturday - 26 November 2022
To mark 50 years since the release of one of its most impressive sports watches, Junghans releases the stopwatch-inspired 1972 Competition watches for 2022. These limited edition watches of just 50 and 1,972 pieces worldwide come in a respective 18ct white gold case or a stainless steel case and convey their sporting elegance via a black perforated leather strap with a vivid orange lining to match their orange-filled chronograph counters.
It’s hard to see past Junghans’ compelling collection of minimalist Bauhaus-style dress watches, but if you do, you may just be surprised. The Black Forest watch company, renowned for developing exquisite German-made wristwatches for purists, also has a storied history in sports watches to unravel. To be more precise, it became the official timekeeper for FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in the years 2019 and 2021, not to mention the official timekeeper for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. In doing so, it developed several timekeeping devices for those competing in the 100m, archery and rowing categories.
Junghans also developed a multi-counter device for tracking boats called an electric start control tool. During the early 1970s, Junghans released a sportive wristwatch. The 1972 stopwatch-inspired wristwatch was developed with an ergonomic case, with prominent push-pieces at the top of the case flanking a central crown. This Bullhead wristwatch took design cues from earlier stopwatches designed to sit effortlessly in the hand. Activating the stopwatch start and stop functions was made easy whilst holding the instrument at an angle to easily view the dial. Now, 50 years later, Junghans revisits this Bullhead watch design.
The new Junghans 1972 Competition Limited Edition 18ct White Gold and Stainless Steel watches
The two new steel and white gold Junghans 1972 Competition Limited Edition watches have been released in 2022 to mark 50 years in sports watch development, particularly the original design from which both models take inspiration. Their differences lie in the layout of their dials, their case materials and the movements that lie within them.
Measuring a 45.5mm diameter and a height of 14.5mm, both of these new 1972 Competition watches are broad and imposing. Designed to get noticed on the wrist, both models feature displays that mix orange and deep grey colourways. Their anthracite dials are equipped with central hour and minute hands that have been treated with environmentally friendly luminescent material, as have the square markers around the hour track. Their anthracite dials are executed in a sunray brushed effect, which enables their vivid orange-filled chronograph counters to pop. Both watches feature a minutes and seconds scale in white, as well as a legible tachymeter scale in orange for measuring distance based on speed.
Here’s where the differences lie; the Junghans 1972 Competition white gold limited edition watch features chronograph counters placed at 3 and 9 o'clock, offering 12-hour and 30-minute functions respectively. These are joined by a non-coloured small second sub-counter at 6 o’clock, which moves the date window to 4:30 as opposed to 3 o’clock (as seen in the stainless steel version). The stainless steel version of this Junghans limited edition design features a 30-minute chronograph counter at 12 o’clock balanced by a small second sub-counter at 6 o’clock. The watch foregoes the 12-hour totaliser that the white gold version offers and this is down to a difference in movement.
The Junghans 1972 Competition watch in 18ct white gold is limited to 50 pieces worldwide and, like its sibling, is water resistant to 100-meters. It also repeats the same screw-down crown at 12 o’clock and two push-pieces that flank either side of the crown. The top of the watch is also sealed with a piece of anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass like its limited-to-1972-pieces stainless steel counterpart. Sitting inside its case, however, is the self-winding movement J880.1. Its functions include central hours and minutes, chronograph seconds, small running seconds, date, 30-minute chronograph timer and 12-hour totaliser. It offers a power reserve of 48 hours once fully wound. The stainless steel iteration is powered by the self-winding movement J880.5, which also offers the same power reserve. Both calibres are based on a Sellita movement.
The two new Junghans 1972 Competition Limited Edition white gold and stainless steel watches are finished on a perforated leather strap that instils a distinctive sporting elegance. Their orange linings match the orange-tipped central chronograph seconds hand and their orange-filled sub-counters. The leather band on the stainless steel model is fitted on a matching steel folding clasp, whilst the white gold band secures to the wrist with a traditional buckle. Both options are stamped with the Junghans logo and both models come complete inside a genuine Junghans presentation box.
You can explore more details on the Junghans 1972 Competition Limited Edition Steel watch here, or the 18ct white iteration here. Likewise, you can call and speak to a member of our sales team at Jura watches today on 01335 453453
