The MeisterSinger Black Line – A Darker and Sportier Take on the Single-Hand Concept

Many brands struggle to stand out from the crowd and to define what makes them unique. Not with MeisterSinger. This brand makes mechanical watches with one single hand for people who just want to keep track of time, with a certain poetry in the display. This has always been the defining point of the brand. While usually rather classical (even though sometimes colourful), the brand recently started to offer bolder pieces, and that includes a brand new collection of black, instrument watches introduced at Baselworld 2018. Meet the four watches of the MeisterSinger Black Line – including the Circularis Power Reserve, the Salthora Meta, the Perigraph and the No.03.

This new MeisterSinger Black Line comprises four watches of the classic collection, all of them sharing two common points. The first one is their unique, rather different and sufficiently original display; a single hand that indicates the time. This means that only one hand is used to point to the current hour and the approximate minute, with 5-minute graduations. More than enough precision for daily life, believe us. Yet, this is nothing new, as all the watches in the MeisterSinger collection share this feature.

What is unique with the MeisterSinger Black Line and found on all four watches is a new colour scheme. Based on the Circularis Power Reserve, the Salthora Meta, the Perigraph and the No.03, the Black Line is – unsurprisingly – a black take on these watches. The stainless steel cases are coated with diamond-like carbon (DLC) – a coating process that is much more resistant to wear and scratches than the more usual PVD process. The dials are also designed in matte jet black, with highly contrasting markings and numerals.

During the day, they recall old radium/tritium dial thanks to a sand-beige colour. When night falls, they glow in the dark thanks to a Super-LumiNova coating. In order to provide maximum legibility, the tip of the single hand is painted in red – a colour that is also found on all the subsidiary indications (date, power reserve). Finally, these watches are paired with vintage-inspired saddle leather straps in brown, thus providing a cool antique feel that matches the indices and numerals.

Let’s now take a closer look at the four watches of the MeisterSinger Black Line:

MeisterSinger Circularis Power Reserve Black Line

Introduced in 2017, the Circularis Power Reserve is the most complex watch produced by the brand and thus to be considered the flagship of the MeisterSinger collection. It is fitted with a proprietary hand-wound movement with a very comfortable 5-day / 120-hour power reserve. Being a powerful engine, MeisterSinger thought it could be handy to keep track of the remaining energy stored into the twin-barrel and added a power reserve indicator to its MSH base calibre. The movement is nicely executed, with nice curves. For this special Black Line edition, the brand opted for a black coating also on the main bridge, which contrasts nicely with the polished bevelled angles and the rhodium-plated parts.

The Circularis Power Reserve Black Line has a steel case measuring 43mm in diameter – and is a robust watch on the wrist. Yet, its large dimensions allow to read the time easily on the super-large dial. Apart from the power reserve and the large central hand for the hours, the Circularis Power Reserve also includes an indication of the date. The watch comes with a robust brown saddle leather strap. Price: EUR 5,990.

Quick facts: 43mm diameter – DLC-coated stainless steel case – sapphire crystal front and back – calibre MSH02, hand-wound – 120-hour power reserve – single-hand, date display and power reserve indicator – EUR 5,990

MeisterSinger Salthora Meta Black Line

Don’t be fooled by the numeral 12 shown on top of the dial of this watch… It isn’t an hour marker. It is a much more interesting feature! Indeed, the Salthora Meta combines the single hand indication with a jumping hour displayed in a round window at 12 o’clock. Thus, for once, the single hand of this MeisterSinger serves as an indication of the minutes. A different take on the base concept that actually makes the Salthora Meta the most convenient and possibly one of the coolest watches in the collection.

While the base movement is a reliable automatic ETA 2824-2 (or its Sellita clone), a specific module on top for the jumping hour complication has been developed by MeisterSinger – as fully explained here. The Salthora Meta Black Line features this original display in a black DLC coated steel case of 43mm with sapphire caseback. Several red accents on the dial make this watch quite attractive. Again, it is worn on a saddle brown leather strap. Price: EUR 3,190.

Quick facts: 43mm diameter – DLC-coated stainless steel case – sapphire crystal front and back – ETA 2824-2 or Sellita clone with in-house module – automatic with 38h power reserve – jumping hours and central minutes – EUR 3,190

MeisterSinger Perigraph Black Line

The Perigraph is one of the most classic watches in the MeisterSinger collection but it has been drastically changed with this Black Line edition, moving from an almost dress watch to a robust and instrument piece. While the single-hand displaying the hours is still the main point of interest here, MeisterSinger has added an original date display, not via a classic window but thanks to a rotating disc, with the current date signalled at 12 o’clock with a red triangle. This display animates a dial that would have been otherwise quite empty.

The MeisterSinger Perigraph Black Line uses the same large and robust 43mm black DLC-coated case and saddle leather strap as its siblings. The movement is an automatic ETA 2824-2 or its Sellita clone, visible through the caseback. The black dial provides great contrast and the date appears well in this context. Price: EUR 2,090.

Quick facts: 43mm diameter – DLC-coated stainless steel case – sapphire crystal front and back – ETA 2824-2 or Sellita clone – automatic with 38h power reserve – hours and date by disc – EUR 2,090

MeisterSinger No.03 Black Line

Last but not least, MeisterSinger also applies the Black Line concept to one of its simpler watches, the utterly classic No.03. This watch is the entry-level offer of the Black Line and shows a clean, simple yet original single-hand display with no extra features. It is housed in the same 43mm black DLC-coated stainless steel case as the other watches of this collection. Inside is an automatic ETA 2824-2 or its Sellita clone with only the display of the hours. Price: EUR 1,990.

Quick facts: 43mm diameter – DLC-coated stainless steel case – sapphire crystal front and back – ETA 2824-2 or Sellita clone – automatic with 38h power reserve – display of the hours – EUR 1,990

The MeisterSinger Black Line is already available from the brand’s retailers. More details on www.meistersinger.com.