The MeisterSinger Edition Planet Earth

Raising awareness for a national, international or even global issue is always a noble thing to do. The watchmaking industry is no stranger to this, with numerous brands collaborating with various charitable organizations. As a common trade-off, part of the proceeds is often donated to the selected cause and put to good use. MeisterSinger, in what is a celebratory year for the one-handed watch manufacturer, joins forces with the WWF and presents the intriguing MeisterSinger Edition Planet Earth.

The story of MeisterSinger starts 20 years ago, with the idea to change the perception of the passing of time. Harking back to the days when watches and clocks had only a single hand, MeisterSinger has dedicated themselves to a pure representation of time. The brand shows a profound level of creativity with this concept and is able to turn it into several striking collections, including the Bell Hora, Perigraph “Mellow Yellow”, Unomat and Stratoscope we’ve seen being released this year alone.

Now, 20 years down the line, MeisterSinger is celebrating its anniversary through multiple watches, one of the latest being the MeisterSinger Edition Planet Earth. This limited edition of 500 pieces is created in collaboration with World Wide Fund for Nature, better known as the WWF. Using the quite exemplar MeisterSinger Perigraph as a base, the Edition Planet Earth puts the focus on, well, earth! When we first wrote about it, the photorealistic print in the middle of the large black dial looked rather impressive, and seeing it in the metal only surpasses our expectations.

It starts with a 43mm wide steel case with a polished and brushed finishing. The caseband is brushed, which contrasts with the fully polished bezel and top side of the case. The bezel steps in from the caseband just a little, which adds a bit of life to the case. The bezel also has a narrow profile which gives way to a rather large dial. It is by no means a small watch but where previous MeisterSingers could sometimes feel a little bulky, this doesn’t. The biggest benefactor to this is the relatively slim caseband and the caseback which steps down a bit, both visually slimming down the watch.

Of course, all the attention is drawn towards that photorealistic print, which has a great amount of detail. It depicts the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia (mostly), with hints of North and South America on the outer edge. Even though it is a flat print on a slightly domed surface, it gives a real sense of depth.

Mountainous areas actually look to be in relief, and the use of different shades of blue for the oceans adds to the realism as well. The only “intrusions” to the dial are the red indicator for the date at 12 o’clock, and the large, single hand. This hand is finished in white, with a red tip. This is a change from the Edition Planet Earth as presented in September of this year.

Revolving around the globe is the signature Perigraph date display, with a fully visible disc in a very dark grey with a white print. In some angles, it matches the colour of the hour and minute scale on the outside, but it is in fact a different tone of black/grey. And even though the watch has only a single hand, it is possible to read the down to 5-minute intervals. The double-digit hour numerals are joined with indications for every half hour, a quarter of an hour and 5 minutes. This gives an accurate enough indication to know what time it is at any given moment.

Turning the watch over reveals the sapphire caseback, with the black WWF panda logo printed on the inside. It also reveals the nicely finished Sellita SW 400 MeisterSinger has put in the Edition Planet Earth. This automatic movement runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and provides 38 hours of power reserve. The rotor is decorated with the brand’s name and logo. The size of the movement against the size of the case might be a topic of discussion for some. But do take into consideration MeisterSinger needs a large dial to display the earth, the date and the time on the outer scale and not make it look cramped or unbalanced. And to me, it doesn’t feel out of balance one bit.

The MeisterSinger Edition Planet Earth is worn on a 100% vegan leather strap, made from apple fibres. The strap is a very dark chocolate brown with copper stitching and contrasting keepers. It is secured to the wrist with a polished steel pin buckle. The box is also made from 100% recycled or recyclable material, in order to reduce the brand’s carbon footprint.

While all that effort is very admirable, it still comes down to being a luxury product with a certain expected level of quality. And in all honesty, it works. The strap feels soft to the touch, has a very nice semi-gloss shine to it and is comfortable on the skin. Surprisingly, it even has a leather-like smell to it. The straps are sold separately and will be integrated into other collections over time.

MeisterSinger limits the watch to 500 pieces, each individually numbered, at a price of EUR 1,990. Of all watches sold, EUR 200 will be donated to the WWF and will go towards projects around the globe. Due to contractual agreements, the watch is only sold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Swede, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

For more information, please visit MeisterSinger.com.