In 1861, watchmaker Erhard Junghans and his brother in law, Jakob Zeller Tobler went into business with one another, creating affordable clock components in Schramberg, Germany. The company would first go by the name Junghans and Tobler. Shortly before Erhard Junghans passed away, the duo was able to accomplish its first ever wristwatch creation. After this, Junghans’ wife took over the company whilst her son would spend time in the United States learning valuable skills and gaining important research that he would later bring back with him to utilise whilst nurturing his own designs.
From as far back as 1866 Junghans had its own recognisable motif, a five pointed star which would later change to an eight pointed star by 1968. A tried and tested Swiss calibre would sit at the heart of every Junghans watch, the Calibre 10, which remained unchanged for a total of 50 years. As the phrase goes, why fix what isn’t broke, Junghans believed the secret behind its success was to rely on what it knew best. Accuracy, performance and longevity. It was not until the 1930s that the German company would begin venturing into realms of in-house movement manufacture. Until then it had been focussing its efforts on enlarging its watchmaking facilities to accommodate a staggering 3 million watches every year. In addition to this, Junghans dedicated time and research into creating luminous dials that would assist with timekeeping during the night or in low light conditions.
The 1950s was an important decade for Junghans who decided to collaborate with Swiss artist, Max Bill which would explain the brand’s many distinct Bauhaus inspired designs created during this era. These Junghans watches, designed as a collaborative effort, boasted a minimalist style, accentuated by clean lines. New quartz technology would later follow when the quartz crisis swept over the industry, leaving many manufacturers with no other option but to close their doors completely. Junghans was spared the blow thanks to its choice to evolve and adapt to the changes within the industry. Junghans’ first quartz wristwatch was named the Astro Quartz in addition to the release of its radio controlled table clock. During this decade Junghans was selected as the 1973 Olympics official timekeeper in West Germany.
Junghans was taken over by EganaGoldpfeil Holding in 2000 but fell into financial difficulties in the first eight years, leading to Hans-Jochem Steim taking over the company. By this time Junghans had released the Meister Collection, which proved a popular option for lovers of the classic dress watch, as well as the brand’s distinct minimalist and clean aesthetics. These signature traits are still very notable characteristic of the company. The Max Bill watch collection was then released by the new management, keeping the brand’s proud 150 year heritage alive still.
Today, Meister watches from Junghans are classic looking and remarkably functional. The line is home to chronographs, timepieces styled on timeless leather bands and simple three handed models that wear easily as dress watches alongside business, formal or evening attire. A telemeter watch and Kalendar version also belong to this line, the latter of which features a date ring and moonphase indicator at 6 o’clock and a day and month window at 10 and 2 o’clock respectively.
One particular reason that watch enthusiasts want to collect Junghans watches so much is down to the fact that the brand has remained unchanged in its approach to watchmaking for its one and a half-century-long heritage. For this reason, each Junghans watch oozes the same charm and character that the brand’s original timepieces once did. Faithful to its roots and with a diverse range of timepieces to choose from, our extensive collection of Junghans watches here at C W Sellors provides plenty of choices when it comes to adding another beautifully manufactured German timepiece to any growing collection.
