Summertime Bauhaus Battle

Two things are true right now: hot weather is definitely here, and I’m on a German watch kick for some reason. What better way to combine the two than compare three of my favorite Bauhaus style watches that are perfect for the summer. In what I’m dubbing the “Summertime Bauhaus Battle”, let’s take a look at the Stowa Antea “Back to Bauhaus”, the NOMOS Minimatik, and the Junghans Max Bill Automatic.

Stowa Antea “Back to Bauhaus”

Three configurations of the Stowa Antea B2B Brown

Although they’ve changed ownership since opening in 1927, it’s one of the few smaller watch brands to have survived the quartz crisis without a major break in production. What’s more, the watches they have in their current lineup largely pay tribute to the popular watches throughout their history – the Antea is no exception.

Here Stowa has made the numbers a bit more playful than the style you’re used to on their Antea from 1938, the previous version, or the NOMOS Tangente. Stowa, as per usual, offers the Antea B2B in several sizes, dial configurations, dial colors, and strap options. The black and white dials are nice, but I’m going with brown on brown. I think it plays well with the summer atmosphere, and there’s no doubt it’ll work on other straps. As for size and configuration, I think the 36.5mm with center seconds and no date is where it’s at. You get a top grade ETA 2824-2, a nice sweeping center seconds hand, and no date to worry about when you’re working through your rotation. After making the selections, the price comes to $870 without the VAT, which is a freaking bargain. I’d say order now, as the wait time is about a month – still very much worth it.

NOMOS Minimatik

NOMOS Minimatik as seen at Baselworld 2015

It’s no secret we love NOMOS here at Wound For Life. They represent one of the best values on the market in terms of genuine in-house watchmaking and reserved, classic design. Though sometimes their designs might be too classic, I can’t imagine there are many folks out there who actually don’t like NOMOS. Never one to let us down, NOMOS released the Minimatik at Baselworld this year, which is a solid cross between their Club and the Metro.

One of the things I like best about NOMOS is their discipline in keeping their watches conservatively sized. I mean, they barely even flirt with 40mm, which is quite refreshing. The Minimatik sits at 35.5mm in diameter and a svelte 8.6mm thick, all while being powered by an in-house automatic movement (DUW 3001). Oh, did I mention the escapement is in-house as well? Eat it, Swatch Group. At $4,000, it’s not cheap, but not many other watchmakers are offering the same homemade guts at that price. If you’ve got the scratch, and you like minimalist design, I’ve got a winner for you.

Junghans Max Bill Automatic

Junghans Max Bill Automatic Anthracite

Junghans is one of those brands I mentioned above that was heavily affected by the quartz crisis. In fact, before they had to change ownership, Junghans went full battery (you never go full battery), and got rid of all of their mechanical models in favor of the new technology. Right before electric and battery powered watches took over, Swiss artist Max Bill joined the team to help design watches and clocks. Today, Junghans honors the work done by Bill with his own lineup, including the awesomely Bauhaus Max Bill Automatic.

The Max Bill Automatic has been in Junghans collection for some years now, but only last year did they introduce the anthracite dial. I think the new dial color works well considering how minimal the other versions are in white and black. Junghans opted for luminous numbers that almost have a vintage tint to them, adding even more “pop” to the appearance. At 38mm, it’s probably as big as you’d want for a watch of this style, but I’ve tried it on and it works well on my 6.75” wrist. Rounding the look out is a tan colored strap perfectly complementing the luminous paint. Inside is an ETA 2824-2, so this one is best compared to the Stowa in terms of pricing. If you can find one available, $1,000 will secure you one of these perfect summer watches. Watch Buys is sold out at the moment, so you might want to start making friends in Germany.

Conclusion

Honestly, they’re all winners for me. All three makers provide well-made Bauhaus options, with only NOMOS offering a bit more in terms of the movement. If having an in-house movement isn’t important, the old school German watchmaking names will compete for your money. However, some folks need to know they have something a bit more special. Whatever your situation, you can’t go wrong here.

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