The New Junghans Meister fein Automatic Erhard Edition Celebrates 200 Years of Their Founder

Last year Junghans introduced a rose gold version of their quintessential Bauhaus wristwatch, the Meister fein. However, it wasn’t a true gold case because it simply featured a gold PVD coating over a stainless steel base. Now though, Junghans have gone all out on the gold by releasing the Junghans Meister fein Automatic Erhard limited edition, which is available in either full yellow gold or full white gold.

The watch is a tribute to Erhard Junghans, the founder of the brand who was born in 1823, 200 years ago. Erhard was revolutionary during his day, creating his own watchmaking service in 1859, expanding his brand in 1869 to Geisshalde in the Black Forest area. Junghans is still based there to this day, having attained several major milestones such as becoming the largest watchmaker in the world for a time by producing over 9000 pieces per year.

Erhard’s legacy can be seen in every modern Junghans that’s crafted, but the new Erhard edition is definitely the icing on the cake. It features a 39.5mm diameter case produced in gold (white or rose) with a beautifully understated and elegant circular design. The bezel and lugs are super slim, creating a tight shape that draws the eye inwards toward the dial.

The dial itself is based on the classic Meister Fein with a classy white face and long, incredibly thin indexes. However, upon closer inspection you realise that they’re not actually line indexes as normal and instead they’re Roman numerals that have been elongated to an extreme degree. Additionally, the Junghans logo below 12 o’clock has been presented in its historical design rather than the modern one.

These tweaks give the watch a more ornate feeling compared to Junghans’ typical Bauhaus minimalist aesthetic. It gives the piece a vintage flavour that works well with its anniversary concept. Although, a more easily apparent tribute to Erhard can be found in the centre of the exhibition caseback, where his portrait is engraved in the centre of the rotor. The movement is the J800.1, which is based on the ETA 2824-2 with 38-hour power reserve.

When it comes to founder tribute watches (there are a surprisingly large number of them), this is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen. Subtle enough to be a tasteful variation on the standard model but with enough unique elements to make it special. In particular, the full gold cases are lovely, although they do contribute to a large price tag of £8,450. But that also takes into account that the watch is limited to 200 pieces in each material.