Junghans, the German watchmaker with a penchant for straight-forward minimalistic timepieces returns with a new set of colourful chronographs for their Form A collection. The new Junghans Form A Chronoscope carries the spirit of New York with it, adding vibrant metropolis-inspired colours to the straps and dial becoming just as sleepless as the city that inspires it.
Junghans Form A Chronoscope - Credit Junghans
The Junghans Form A collection is, as its name suggests, an almost complete focus on clean and contemporary design. The dials are often basic and straight-forward, the cases wonderfully slim and the mechanical movements provide time, date and chronograph complication. Before today, the collection has been typically monochromatic, with cases in steel and dials in white and black. For their latest release however, the German watchmaker switches things up a bit, adding shiny black coating to the exterior and bold accents of grey, orange or yellow to the displays.
To understand the inspiration behind the new Junghans Form A Chronoscope watches, we need to start in a place we usually end on – the case back. The sapphire crystal back of each model displays an image of Times Square designed by British artist Richard Macniel. The colour-adapted print is offered in grey, yellow or orange and leads the way for the rest of the design’s colourway.
Junghans Form A Chronoscope - Credit Junghans
The rest of the case back, and entire case for that matter, is engineered from stainless steel with a shiny black coating. It sits on the wrist at 42mm wide and 13.5mm height and is joined by flat sapphire crystal glass, a thin, fixed bezel and black-coated pushers and crown. There’s also a reasonable water resistant rating of 50 metres.
The matte black dials are probably the most exciting change for the Form A Chronoscope. They debut a new gunmetal handset with bold accents in orange, grey and an almost curry-coloured yellow hue. Where these vivid punctuations lie on the hour markers and hands, you’re provided with colourful fluorescent coating for in-the-dark readability. It’s a stark contrast during the day too, and nicely embodies the electricity of New York City at night.
Junghans Form A Chronoscope - Credit Junghans
The shades of yellow, orange and grey also extend onto the leather straps which secure the Junghans Form A Chronoscope watches to the wrist. They have a black lining and a matching black PVD coating on the pin buckle to complete the two-toned aesthetic.
Finally, powering the three novelties is the automatic winding Calibre J880.1 movement. It offers central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds, small seconds at 9 o’clock, 30 minutes at 12 o’clock and 12 hours at 6 o’clock. A day and date window fulfils symmetry at 3 o’clock and we’re assured of a power reserve of 56-hours.
I have no doubt the Junghans Form A Chronoscope is prepared and willing for a concrete jungle. It’s an interesting take on a modern, urban-inspired timepiece and adds a lot of excitement and colour to the wrist if you’re looking for that. I’ve never been one for a black-coated dress watch however, and that’s what this feels like to me.
Junghans Form A Chronoscope - Credit Junghans
For now, I’ll probably leave this one alone and keep dreaming of the more classic, uncoated Junghans Max Bill.
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Junghans
- Model: Form A Chronoscope
- Price: £1,990
- Material: Stainless steel with polished black coating
- Movement: J880.1 automatic winding
- Complications: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph with 12 hours and 30 minutes, day, date
- Dial: Black with orange, yellow or grey hands and markers, luminescent coating
- Size: 42mm wide, 13.5mm
