Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The MeisterSinger Astroscope Edition 20th Anniversary
A limited edition of the Celestial Astroscope marks the brand’s 20th anniversary.
MeisterSinger is renowned for its single-hand watches and has successfully transformed such a simple concept into complex, intriguing pieces over the years. 2021 marks the German brand’s 20th anniversary and the first novelty out of the gate is the Astroscope Edition. This watch adds a special aesthetic to the original Astroscope from last year, giving it an orange “sunny” treatment as the Sun is among seven celestial bodies on the dial representing days of the week. In 2018, MeisterSinger delved into space with the Lunarscope, which featured an impressive oversized moon phase at 12 o’clock. The Astroscope goes even deeper in space with a very novel concept, following a rare constellation.
The Astroscope Edition is among the most unique pieces in the brand’s portfolio and uses seven celestial bodies to relay the days of the week – Monday/Moon, Tuesday/Mars, Wednesday/Mercury, Thursday/Jupiter, Friday/Venus, Saturday/Saturn and Sunday/Sun. Fortunately, the actual days of the week are printed above, so you don’t have to understand ancient star gazing and symbols to know the day. However, what seems like a random arrangement – the days of the week are not in order – follows a constellation (planets, Moon, Sun) that only appears every ten to twelve years in the northern hemisphere. A white dot appears under each day, again not in a linear order, made possible by a rotating disk underneath with a specific pattern of dots. Under the seven days and single hour hand is a simulated horizon, reinforcing the constellation scene above. July 2020 was the last time these celestial dots in the night sky were together simultaneously (minus the Sun), so it’ll be another decade or so before the phenomenon occurs again.
Typical MeisterSinger Arabic numerals span the perimeter of the dial, all being double digits with 01, 02, 03 and so on. The Astroscope Edition adds a bright orange to the numerals, celestial symbols and circular date window, while the central hand and days of the week remain white. The dial itself is black, representing the night sky. While the Sun and Moon separate day and night, the seven-day week doesn’t follow an astronomical rhythm. It most likely dates back to the Babylonians, who considered the number seven to be holy and connected it with seven celestial bodies. Most of the planets are named after Roman gods, while the days of the week (in English and German) get their names from Norse mythology. All of this comes together on the Astroscope Edition’s dial, highlighted in orange to honour our Sun. This continues with the sunshine orange calfskin strap.
The stainless steel case is 40mm in diameter and 10.5mm in height, and has an exhibition caseback secured with six screws. A domed sapphire crystal protects the dial and water-resistance is rated at 50 metres. Powering the watch is a Sellita SW220-1 (ETA 2824 alternative) with an added MeisterSinger-designed module. It features 26 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve. Functions include the single hour hand, date at 6 o’clock and days of the week scattered around the upper half, marked via a rotating disk with white dots. Seen from the exhibition caseback, decorations include Côtes de Genève and perlage.
Availability & price
The new MeisterSinger Astroscope Edition is limited to 100 watches and retails for EUR 1,990, which is the same as its non-limited counterpart. The Astroscope has won both the German Design Award and Red Dot Design Award for 2020 and demonstrates how the brand continues to design unusual, innovative collections with such a simple, single-hand concept. The watch is available from February 15th and for more information, visit MeisterSinger’s website.
