Meet the Meistersinger Bell Hora Anniversary Edition Watch
Friday - 24 September 2021
The dulcet tones of the Meistersinger Bell Hora Anniversary Edition are sweet-sounding and bell-like. The model is limited to 100 pieces and evokes the early pocket watch, striking the fork behind the dial exactly on the hour, every hour.
It’s interesting to think that throughout the vast industry of watchmaking, the single-hand concept is one that is infrequently utilized. This enables Meistersinger to occupy this niche sector of the watchmaking stratosphere. On first impression, a single hand may evoke a feeling of inaccuracy, when in fact, what the concept really does is persuade the reader to hone into the precise position of the single hand to determine the smaller details of timekeeping. Surprisingly, single-handed watches don’t spark anywhere near as much interest or attention as they should do. The concept harks back to ancient timekeeping. These watches are an artefact of another era, drawing on one of the very earliest devices - the sundial.
The blue one
But a single hand is just the beginning of the story when it comes to the new Bell Hora Anniversary Edition watch from Meistersinger. Earlier this year, the German watchmaker launched the Bell Hora model with a rich blue dial. It took the jump hour module and modified it so that it made a very appealing chime sound as the hand passed over each hour marker. This “sonnerie au passage” complication is very old fashioned and has been reinterpreted by the likes of Audemars Piguet and Breguet to name just a couple of examples. Suffice to say the Meistersinger Bell Hora offered a very unique experience of timekeeping. Chiming watches have a very long and storied history in watchmaking, yet experts at the German brand’s manufacturing facilities were able to give the Bell Hora a remarkably modern feel whilst still retaining the classic DNA of its signature single-handed design.
The new one
Now Meistersinger finds another way to resuscitate the long-forgotten “Sonnerie au passage” complication, producing a friendly chime once again that needn’t even require the wearer to glance down at his watch with the passing of each hour. The watch marks the brand’s twentieth anniversary and is now available to pre-order at Jura Watches. There are, of course, repeater watches that operate in many different ways, from ones that chime with a different tone, to those that chime at five-minute or ten-minute intervals. The new Bell Hora watch from Meistersinger does, however, have an option to disable the feature should the wearer not wish to hear the chime at all. This can be deactivated by the pusher situated above the crown.
How does the Meistersinger Bell Hora watch work?
The Bell Hora watch works similar to a watch with a jumping hour complication, building up power before snapping at the moment of change when the jump occurs. The module for the Bell Hora complication is connected to the minute wheel of the movement and draws its power over the course of the hour. Normally with a jump hour watch, the power is released in one go and all at once. With the Meistersinger Bell Hora watch, the power is transferred to a gong and strikes once. The sound the watch makes is not overpowering. Moreover, you would hear it in a quiet office setting but maybe not if you’re located in the middle of a busy street or a bustling town. It’s one of the features that makes the timepiece so endearing and charming.
The dial of the new Meistersinger Bell Hora Anniversary Edition watch with a white dial is defined by a 12-hour scale. The hours are divided into halves, quarters and then into 5-minute intervals. There is something incredibly whimsical about watching a single hand give you almost every small detail of the time without needing to do it in so many different steps. The inner 24-hour track is also easy to read and fluidly becomes part of the concentric circle design on the surface of the white display. The single-hand takes a central position on the dial of the new Bell Hora watch – its shape, long and slim and designed in the pointer style. Its triangular tip and circular counterbalance are certainly easy to pick out underneath a sapphire crystal glass lens.
The new Meistersinger Bell Hora Anniversary Edition watch, which is limited to 100 pieces worldwide, is crafted from stainless steel and measures a diameter of 43mm. Its polished and satin-brushed surfaces house the Sellita SW 200 automatic movement inside a 50-meter water-resistant environment. The 6-screwed glass exhibition back shows off the performance of the movement, capable of producing a 38-hour power reserve and a performance of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The Bell Hora Anniversary Edition is completed on a traditional dark brown alligator leather strap with light brown contrast stitching and a traditional polished stainless steel pin buckle.
Technical Specifications of the Meistersinger Bell Hora Anniversary Edition
- Case: 43mm – stainless steel – satin-brushed and polished – 50-meter water-resistant – sapphire exhibition caseback – anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front
- Dial: White – black pointer-style single hand – outer 12-hour scale – inner 24-hour scale - 12 hours divided by 144 markers
- Movement: Sellita SW 200 – automatic – 28,800 v.p.h – 38-hour power reserve
- Strap: Dark brown – alligator leather – stainless steel pin buckle – light brown contrast stitching
- Price:
- Availability: 100 pieces worldwide
