The Max Bill line by Junghans are truly iconic timepieces that have remained largely unchanged since their debut in the 1960’s. The eponymous designer and architect was trained in the famous Bauhaus school in Dessau, Germany where he honed an undeniable skill at creating minimal, modern works that manage to be as refreshing today as they were at their inception. 

The Max Bill Edition Set 2020 is a truly unique limited edition duo of watches that pay tribute to Max Bill’s “variation 5” from his graphic series “quinze variations sur un même thème.” Based on the abstract black and white illustration, the watches, one a 40mm chronoscope, the other a 34mm automatic, are reimagined with black cases, dials and tonal markings. The drawing is then commemorated on the case-back. Only 222 Max Bill Edition Set 2020s will be created making these some of the rarest and most exclusive Max Bill watches ever created.

The 40mm Chronoscope is powered by the J880.2 caliber, which is based on the venerable Valjoux 7750. Junghans dropped the active seconds sub-dial at nine for clean, symmetrical layouts across the series. The movement is automatic and features 25-jewels, stopwatch functionality, date, 42-hour power reserve and hacking seconds (the second hand stops when the crown is pulled out).

Beating inside of the 34mm automatic is the caliber J800.1 which is based on the Swiss-made automatic ETA 2824-2 movement. Featuring 25-jewels, 38-hour power reserve, date, hacking seconds (the second hand stops when the crown is pulled out), it is a reliable workhorse movement.