Hands-On – Junghans Form A (Defining Bauhaus and Minimalism)

If looking for “the total package” in terms of heritage, well designed, mechanical watches at an affordable sticker price, you simply shouldn’t overlook Junghans. We’ve seen in the past that the brand is capable of offering watches with a very strong design following its own identity to the letter, with basic but reliable movements that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Always leaning on automotive inspiration or following the Bauhaus movement, Junghans brings the Form A (for Automatic) to Baselworld 2017.

Founded in 1861 in Germany, Junghans quickly grew to a formidable producer of watches and clocks. At one point, it was even considered the largest watch manufacturer, with over 3000 employees. Heavily influenced by the Bauhaus era of design (1919-1933) on one hand, and the automotive developments from the same era on the other, Junghans remains today true to these themes. Junghans offers mechanical watches in all their collections, whether it being the Meister (Driver) or the iconic Max Bill range, but always with the same philosophy in mind. The DNA of the brands is very visible throughout the entire lineup and this Form A is no exception.

The Junghans Form A looks deceptively simple, let’s get that straight out of the way. Examining the watch more closely and for longer than a mere second, it features very neat little touches though. The new collection combines the classically styled cases Junghans is known for, with a highly contemporary and clean dial. The 39.1mm wide steel case is shaped like a bowl which gives it a soft touch and sleek, thin and elegant look. The modest dimensions make it an extremely wearable watch! The short lugs aid the comfort when wearing it, so you will probably forget you have it on after five minutes.

The clear and uncluttered matt silver-plated dial is slightly concave but that is hardly noticeable at first. A very cool but also subtle design element of the dial are the squared, recessed minute markers on the outside edge. Painted or applied roundels are a more common sight, or nothing at all when it comes to restraint watchmaking but this is a welcome change! It keeps the dial playful, yet calm on the eyes. At every 5 minute increment a colored digit can be seen in either red, beige or blue, depending on the choice of strap (more on this later).

The markings on the dial are completed by stick markers in black matched with hour digits in a crisp font. It is accompanied by the logo and name on the top half, and a recessed date window at 3 o’clock. Time is indicated by three central hands, for seconds, minutes and hours. The straight, slightly tapered hands for minutes and hours received a little line of lume to help with glooming conditions.

Inside the Junghans Form A ticks the J800.2 automatic movement which is an ETA 2824 clone. The movement is visible through the tinted sapphire caseback. It is a bit of a compromise if you ask me, as the movement selected isn’t the most exciting in terms of details and finishing. A tinted glass like this allows for a view of the movement in a different way, obscuring the movement slightly but still showing the Junghans engraved rotor. The Junghans Form A comes on a calfskin leather strap in three colors; blue, brown or black and all come on a steel pin buckle.

The Form A offers excellent value for money at a very competitive price of EUR 840. For those of you looking for a chronograph version Junghans offers the quartz powered Form C at a price of EUR 449. Personally, I expect Junghans to offer an automatic Chronograph version of the Form collection sometimes in the future but we’ll have to be patient for that one. More information on Junghans.de.