Time flies for the German watchmaker. One year after its release, the Meister Pilot sports a new DLC case, but remains as distinctive and durable as ever.

Junghans first made headlines with the release of its Meister Pilot in 2016. The understated German watchmaker looked to the heritage of the brand’s famous 1955 model J88 Bundeswehrchronograph for the 2016 edition.

And the timepiece didn’t disappoint, incorporating key design elements of the legendary Junghans pilot watch of the 1950s.

Now, the Schramberg-based company has made the model a bit more distinctive. I say ‘a bit more’ because last year’s model was already quite recognizable, with its scalloped bidirectional bezel and highly readable dial design.

For this edition, the brand has used a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating on the nicely sized 43mm case. The dark anthracite colour gives the watch a unique appearance, but more importantly it provides greater protection against scratches. And we wouldn’t expect anything less from a function-first German watchmaker like Junghans.

Being a pilot’s watch, this version of the automatic Meister adheres to the brand’s strong herniate of aviator watches. The instrument-styled dial sports large numerals and offers optimal legibility. Matt surfaces and the anti-reflection coated sapphire crystal (on both sides) keeps light reflection to a minimum. At the same time, intensive white luminous material keep the time display firmly in focus.

Pilots these days don’t really depend on their wristwatches as they used to, but you can bet on the fact that this watch will be equally at home in the cockpit. For the rest of us grounded types, thankfully this watch is a great every day timekeeper. It is versatile enough to be worn as a sports watch or even for more dressy occasions.

Technical information

Movement:

• J880.4 self-winding movement with a power reserve of up to 38 hours, chronoscope function with central stop second and 30-minute counter, Bicompax display (subsidiary second at 3 o’clock, 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock)

Finishing:

• Rotor surface with stripe finishing and engraved logo, diamond cut on barrel, train and balance bridge

Case:

• Stainless steel Ø 43.3 mm, height 14.4 mm, DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating, bi-directional rotating bezel with environmentally-friendly luminous material. Characteristic features of the Meister Pilot are the 12 concave notches on the bezel. Domed, sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflection coating, 7-times screwed case back with compass rose decor

Dial:

• Domed dial, hour indices with environmentally-friendly Super Luminova luminous material

Hands:

• Black-coated hour and minute markers with environmentally friendly Super Luminova luminous material, second hand with triangle tip with environmentally friendly Super Luminova luminous material

Strap:

• Leather strap with flap and DLC-coated stainless steel buckle

Water resistance:

• 10 bar