Unusual and Full of Charm, the MeisterSinger Astroscope

MeisterSinger is a young German brand founded in 2001 which has built its reputation on a simple, original display: a single-hand indication of the time. The idea was to offer enthusiasts something different, something with a certain philosophy of life, where things are slowed down, the single-hand removing the constant reminder of the passage of time. In our latest video review, we’ll look at a watch that is unusual and original on many levels, a watch that displays the time and its astronomical complications like no other watch, the MeisterSinger Astroscope. And once again, it comes with a unique philosophy of time. 

Since the earliest models, the single-hand display has become a signature element of most MeisterSinger watches. The single-hand indication has been joined by complications, like jumping hours, day-date windows and power reserve indicators. The brand has also focused some of its watches on astronomical indications, something that goes well with the slow display of the time implied by the mono-aiguille. Think, for instance, about the ultra-wide moon phase of the MeisterSinger Lunascope.

The Astroscope is the brand’s latest creation and once again, the single-hand display is married to an astronomical complication. And being a MeisterSinger, the way it is displayed is far from usual. The dial is punctuated by dots and astronomical signs. And if it’s hard to understand what it does at first glance, the video will tell you all about it.

Design-wise, the watch is pure MeisterSinger.The case of the MeisterSinger Astroscope, made of polished stainless steel, has a soft shape with a domed sapphire crystal on top and a curved bezel with a wide opening offering a large view on the dial.

As for the dial, things get a bit more complex. MeisterSinger doesn’t create watches that tell the time traditionally. First and foremost, the Astroscope is a single-hand watch. The large, white central hand rotates once every 12 hours indicating the time at 5-minute intervals. No minute or second hands here, only one hand contributing to the minimalist design.

The most important thing to understand about this watch is its calendar indication. Although it might seem complex and not entirely natural at first, the complication itself is pretty straightforward and is actually an indication of the day of the week. MeisterSinger relies on the symbols for celestial bodies after which the days were named in most Western European languages: Moon for Monday, Mars for Tuesday, Mercury for Wednesday, Jupiter for Thursday, Venus for Friday, Saturn for Saturday and the Sun for Sunday. You’ll also notice that the apertures are not displayed in a linear or radial way but wander back and forth. The mechanics are quite simple, however, as a disc with multiple dots moves in a circular way under the dial. This visually complex display is mechanically pretty simple, so it only requires a solid and reliable Sellita automatic base movement (with modified indications on top) to work. This guarantees both an accessible price and the durability of the watch.

The watch is now available from retailers and comes in two versions: black-old radium with beige Arabic numerals (in our photos) or blue-old radium with bright blue Arabic numerals (in the video). And to find out more about the MeisterSinger Astroscope’s display and to see it in action, check out our video review above. More details at www.meistersinger.com.