MeisterSinger Perigraph Date Watch Review

[onzenuub 309]

Mechanical watches often excel at one particular purpose or are designed to fit a particular set of activities. Dive watches are (as the name implies) designed for water activities, chronographs - while generally useful - are designed with motor sports in mind, and GMT and world timers make for great traveling companions.

This is not surprising since if you look at the history of watches that define a particular segment of the watch market, you will see that they usually emerged with brands trying to provide the best watch for the activities in question. A great example is the creation of the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms in the early 50s as the ones that would define the diving watch segment.

So as a watch-nerd, we collect watches and wear them to match the intended activity. So, a good question is: what watch would you wear when you want to relax or when taking a vacation? Sure a diver would work fine, especially if you are intending to go into the pool or into the ocean. Nevertheless, it's interesting to ask, is there a watch more suited for vacationing? a watch that while accomplishing its purpose can disappear and even make time slow down a bit. After all, who wants vacation time to go by fast? Well, I believe I found exactly such a watch: the MeisterSinger Perigraph.

The oldest known form of timekeeping are sundials. In its simplest form, a graduated circle (or semi-circle) with a stick whose sun shadow indicates approximately the current time. Such sundials go as far back as the Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations' studies of astronomy (1500 B.C.), the Mayan civilization, the Chinese, and early European civilizations. The Old Testament has a passage mentioning a sundial as the "dial of Ahaz" in Isaiah 38:8. The simplicity of such timekeeping mechanisms evokes a period in human evolution where precise timing was less important than having some idea of where in the day the present time was. While impractical for modern day to day activities, when vacationing, that's exactly what one wants.

MeisterSinger is a German brand who intends to bring back such simpler times to the present. Their lines of timepieces includes a series of flagship watch models with a single hand. The Perigraph model reviewed here also includes a rotating date disk. Since the disk only advances once per day, you don't lose the overall effect of the single hand, yet gain a useful piece of information.

First the Perigraph model, while simple, is not small nor overly thin. The 43mm polished stainless steel case seats at 10mm on the wrist. Overall, it never feels small but also not overly large. I would say it's right sized for modern tastes.

The dial is the shining star for this model. The dark gray anthracite is unique but works well with the long thin single white hand that extends all the way to the edge of the dial. The markings are clear and precise. Since there are no minutes nor seconds, it's imperative that the markings be clear such that one can have, at a glance an idea of the time, even if the precision is of five minutes.

MeisterSinger accomplishes this by having all 12 hours marked with a legible sans serif font and pre-pending 0 for the single digit since that allows the markings around the dial to be symmetrical and pleasing to the eye. Between two hours you get a long marker index for the half hour, smaller ones for the 15 and 45 minutes and then even smaller ones for the 5 minute increments.

Since, as mentioned, the single hand is long and thin, reading which marker the hand is closest to, is relatively easy. Quickly calculating the time when not at the half takes a bit of getting used to, however, after using the watch for a day or so, this was a non-issue and became somewhat second nature.

Part of the legibility is obtained due to the high contrast between the white hand and markers with the anthracite dial. The current date is shown at the 12 o'clock position by the inner rotating disk and with a subtle small red arrow pointing to the date. The date disk shows Roman numerals for the odd dates and a index for the even dates. The whole thing is well thought out, legible, and unique.

Completing the case is a slightly domed sapphire crystal that is treated for anti-reflection. Due to the large dial and the fact that the bezel is very thin, the curved crystal creates a loupe effect at angles that helps with seeing which index the hand is closest to.

Operating the Perigraph is exactly what you would expect for a ETA-based watch. The non-screw down crown has two positions and will wind the watch when fully pressed and turned. At position one, turning the crown will advance the date quickly in jumping fashion. In position two, the movement stops and the single hand moves easily and precisely around the dial.

MeisterSinger includes a sapphire case back for this watch and while the periphery of the case back includes the brand name, model, and unique serial number, the movement shown is pretty basic. The rotor includes the MeisterSinger logo which resembles a smiley face with one central eye. The rest of the movement is sparsely decorated with some perlage and blued screws. Nothing extraordinary but also not so plain as to be worth hiding instead.

In practice, the "slowdown of time" that MeisterSinger is quick to point out in their catalog and online material, does actually work, though I imagine that your mileage might vary. In essence, it reminds me of the relativity nature of time, whereby events appear to slow down or move fast when our context varies. Einstein used to give the example of the feeling of time passing by fast when in the presence of someone we love... In this case, the relativistic effect is more analogous to us using the watch hand as a reference, and since the hand moves slowly in unnoticeable fashion, our sense of time seems to also follow suit.

Besides being a unique watch that is modern in its proportion and construction, a really great characteristic of the Perigraph Date and all of MeisterSinger's lines is the relatively low price point. The MeisterSinger Perigraph Date anthracite which won the00/24 European Watch of the Year Award in 2012 for the category of watches under 3000 Euros retails for about $1,800. MeisterSinger also produces a model with a silver cream dial, one with a brown dial, and one with a black dial. The initial MeisterSinger one hand watches came in a variety of dial configurations. Some with dates and some without and some at a smaller 38mm case sizes. However, all are priced in the same range as the Perigraph.

Overall, I am happy with the MeisterSinger Perigraph date. It's the perfect vacationing watch with a unique design and excellent construction worthy of much pricier timepieces. And while nothing but traveling at speeds close to light's will effectively and necessarily slow down time according to the theory of relativity (time dilation), maybe the closest one can come to achieving this, for a price that anyone can afford, is to wear and enjoy MeisterSinger Perigraph on the wrist... You are also bound to look stylish in the process. Price is $1,800. meistersinger.net

Necessary Data

>Brand: Meistersinger

>Model: Perigraph Date

>Price: $1,800

>Size: 43mm x 11mm (51mm lug to lug)

>Weight: 85g on the leather strap

>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes

>Friend we'd recommend it to first: Anyone looking for a different watch than your typical three-hander to go on vacation. Hoping that time "slows down" as much as possible.

>Worst characteristic of watch: The leather strap with fake alligator patterns. Looks great but fake is fake.

>Best characteristic of watch: The dial. Brilliantly executed on a rare anthracite background.

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