MeisterSinger Salthora Meta X – A Surprisingly Cool Single-Hand, Jumping Hour Dive Watch

When we first heard about the new MeisterSinger Salthora Meta X, we thought we were in for a big surprise…and we were right. To us, MeisterSinger makes single-hand watches with a classy / urban design. It does not make sports watches, let alone dive watches. Yet, when you take a step back and think about it for more than 5 seconds, you soon understand that the Salthora Meta X is just the natural development of the MeisterSinger concept and one of the coolest ideas the brand could have – not to mention it is overall a really impressive, well-thought timepiece. Read on to find out why.

A bit of background on dive watches… In the early days of diving, diving computers did not exist. Divers had to rely on mechanical watches and mechanical instruments (such as depth gauges) for their safety. When diving, time is an extremely important factor. Watches were used for two main measurements. The first one was the duration of the diving session – scuba sets are filled with a precise amount of breathing gas, corresponding to a certain duration of diving. The other measurement corresponds to decompression stages. In both cases, these measurements are less than 1 hour long, meaning that the only useful hand on the watch is the minute hand, in conjunction with the second most important feature of a dive watch, the rotatable bezel. In fact, a dive watch, viewed solely as a professional instrument, with no need to indicate the time, would only require these two features (plus a seconds hand, not for measurements, but just to be sure that the watch is running). Keep that in mind.

Now, let’s apply this concept to another one, MeisterSinger’s signature feature: the single-hand display. Since its inception, the brand has always played on that rather unusual and quite poetical (because slow) display, on which the usual hour and minute hands are merged into one that indicates the time by rotating once around the dial in 12h. This couldn’t work in the case of a dive watch though, as no minutes are displayed. However, MeisterSinger has something more in the catalogue, another single-hand watch, the Salthora, however the hand here stands for the minutes and is linked to a jumping hour… And now that you know about dive watches, you can imagine the development that has been done.

The MeisterSinger Salthora Meta X is clearly a very well-thought out dive watch. It has all the elements (with the exception of one… but we’ll get back to that later) to make it an extremely practical instrument undersea. First of all, it is built around a rugged stainless steel case, with a 43mm diameter, a 200m water-resistance, screwed crown and caseback, and all the required protections to withstand an active life (large crown, designed to be used with gloves, crown protectors). The Salthora Meta X is rather large and bulky but is quite comfortable, thanks to its curved lugs. The case has a different shape, compared to previous creations from the brand, and with its brushed surfaces and polished accents, the quality of its construction feels superior to the rest of the MeisterSinger production. It is, as usual with the brand, easily configurable, with many different strap / bracelet options (steel mesh, rubber, vintage leather, suede, croc-print leather…).

Let’s move on to the most important aspect of this MeisterSinger Salthora Meta X; the display. First, it features the indispensable uni-directional bezel with 60-minute scale, here with pronounced notches and a brushed ceramic insert (in black or blue, depending on the version). The dial has a classic look to it, with large digits for the minutes, all coated with luminous paint, as is the one and only hand running on the dial. This minute hand, combined with the bezel, will make diving times extremely easy to read – one thing to note: the absence of second hand, not really problematic on a daily basis, but it is required by the ISO standards for dive watches.

Reading the time is easy too (something you need to do on a daily basis on when on dry land), with a circular window at 12 displaying the current hour using an instant jumping mechanism, (which is explained in detail here.) It changes at lightning speed and with great precision every 60 minutes – so no confusion possible. This system is in fact quite simple but efficient, as tension required for the actuating lever of the hour disk is built up over the course of 60 minutes by a snail attached to the minute wheel. Hence, power is not withdrawn suddenly from the mainspring barrel, but continually, which only influences the workings to a minimal degree. This display is powered by a classical movement, an ETA 2824-2 or Sellita 200-1 with 4Hz frequency, automatic winding and 38h power reserve.

Three versions of the MeisterSinger Salthora Meta X are available:

• Steel case, black dial with light green indexes, black ceramic bezel, black hour disc with light green numeral, light green minute hand
• Steel case, black dial with white indexes, black ceramic bezel, white hour disc with red numeral, red minute hand
• Steel case, blue dial with white indexes, blue ceramic bezel, blue hour disc with white numeral, white minute hand

Overall, the MeisterSinger Salthora Meta X is a refreshing novelty. As a dive watch, it is efficient, well-conceived and extremely practical. The crucial indication for safety, the minute, is perfectly emphasized by the single-hand display – and the quality of construction and the performance offered are sufficient for most recreational diving sessions. Worn as a daily watch, it is rugged, cool in terms of design and the complication used (jumping hour) makes it quite unique on the market, meaning that it stands out from the crowd of regular dive watches. Finally, the price – from EUR 3,200 – is simply excellent for what you get in return. Well done! More details on www.meistersinger.com.

Technical Specifications – MeisterSinger Salthora Meta X

• Case: 43mm diameter – Stainless steel, brushed with polished accents – uni)directional ceramic bezel – sapphire crystal on the dial side, screwed steel back – 200m water resistant
• Movement: base ETA 2824-2 or Sellita 200-1, additional proprietary module – automatic – 4HZ frequency – 38H power reserve – central minute hand, instantaneous jumping hour in a window at 12
• Strap: various leather or metallic options
• Reference: SAMX902 (black and red) – SAMX902GR (black and green) – SAMX908 (blue)
• Price: EUR 3,200 (leather) EUR 3,500 (mesh steel bracelet)