Hands-on with the Junghans 1972 Competition Stainless Steel Limited Edition
Thursday - 01 December 2022
The new Junghans 1972 Competition watch in stainless steel celebrates the Black Forest-based company’s heritage in sports. Limited to just 1,972 pieces to reference its name - the watch is designed in honour of a successful sports watch released in the year 1972 and is launched alongside a luxurious 18ct white gold model limited to just 50 pieces worldwide. The model embodies a sense of sportiness in the present because, despite its distinct 1970s-inspired design, the watch offers several features that live up to today’s standards in robustness and longevity. These include a strong stainless steel case with steel screws, a hardy sapphire crystal glass front, a screw-down crown, and 100-meter water resistance.
Many don’t realise just what a profound role Junghans played in sporting events between the 1960s and 1980s. It’s time for that to change. More recently, the esteemed watchmaker became the official timing partner of the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in 2019 and 2021. To promote its recent focus back on sports wristwatches, the brand has welcomed “Skiing Athlete of the Year” (German Ski Association), Karl Geiger. The launch of the new Junghans 1972 Competition limited edition stainless steel watch comes 50 years after the release of the popular model it takes inspiration from.
Junghans and sport
Junghans is perhaps more widely known for its Bauhaus-inspired minimalistic watch designs – a style that it does very well. But whilst it isn’t common knowledge, the brand also became the official timekeeper to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. It also provided timekeeping tools to competitors in archery, rowing and the 100m, as well as developing an electric start control – a multi-counter device for tracking boats. This relationship between Junghans and the Olympic Games resulted in the manufacture of many civilian wristwatches, including a chronograph called the Olympic BullHead inspired by a 1970s manual-winding model.
Junghans Bullhead watches took their name from their distinct push-pieces that mimicked the appearance of a bull’s head and the position of the crown positioned at the top of the case. The watches had a slightly sloping case as did many stopwatches of the past. This slanting case decreased in thickness from top to bottom, enabling the stopwatch to be held comfortably in the hand whilst viewing the time at a convenient angle and manipulating the pusher and crown with the thumb.
The new Junghans 1972 Competition Stainless Steel Limited Edition watch is not a far cry from its original predecessor, with a case diameter of 45.5mm and a depth of 14.5mm. The elliptical shape of the stainless steel case is enhanced with added sportiness thanks to a brushed effect. A four-times screwed caseback is engraved with the limited edition motif across its surface, whilst a screw-down crown helps to assist a water-resistant rating of 100-meters. The top of the case is sealed with a pane of scratch-resistant and anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass to grant a clear view into a dynamic and vivid dial.
Communicating a sporty and athletic style in every way, the dial of the new Junghans 1972 Competition limited edition watch in stainless steel features a bi-compax dial layout with vivid orange-filled counters placed on a north-south axis. The top counter positioned at 12 o’clock offers a 30-minute chronograph function and is balanced by a 6 o’clock counter offering a small seconds feature. These elements are set against a grey sun-brushed dial. To mimic the shape of the case, these chronograph counters are also elliptical in shape. Interestingly, the blackish hour markers in a baton shape, together with the central dial hands are treated with an environmentally friendly luminous material. A white minutes and seconds track stands out against the dark tones of the dial, whilst the thick tachymeter scale framing the entire thing is dressed in a vibrant orange colour. The chronograph second hand has an orange tip to match these contrasting elements and offers 1/5th of a second readings. If you consider yourself a Junghans fan, you’ll notice that the brand name has now been replaced with the Made In Germany lettering at the south of the dial, but you can still see the Junghans name and logo proudly sitting at the 9 o’clock location, balanced by a black date window at 3 o’clock.
Inside the broad and robust case of the new Junghans 1972 Competition steel edition is the self-winding Calibre J880.5, which produces a power reserve of 48 hours once fully wound and has had its chronograph hours removed by Junghans experts. The movement is based on the Sellita SW510 movement. The surface of its rotor has been executed with stripe finishing and an engraved logo, whilst diamond cut decoration features on the barrel. Rhodium plating is also present, as well as blued screws.
Rally-style perforated leather straps are the order of the day for this limited edition Junghans watch of just 1972 pieces worldwide. The band’s orange lining secures firmly to the wrist, assisted by the ergonomically curved shape of the watch’s caseback, keeping the timepiece bolted into place. The leather band secures to the arm with a stainless steel folding clasp engraved with the brand logo.
If you’d like more information on the stainless steel version of this limited edition Junghans 1972 Competition watch, you can view the model in more detail here, or call and speak to a member of our sales team here at Jura Watches on 01335 453453
