nce upon a time in 2001 in the town of Münster, in northwest Germany, designer and artist Manfred Brassler decided to create a watch brand that would go back to the earliest days of time measurement.

“Six thousand years ago, people tracked time by observing the shadow cast by a stick. One of the earliest time-measuring devices was the sundial. Later, time was measured on a dial which, until the eighteenth century, had just one hand. Manfred Brassler was taken with the clarity, simplicity and mindfulness of this representation of time, which inspired his design for a dial with a single hand,” says MeisterSinger co-CEO Rainer Eckert.

MeisterSinger in a 2007 edition of Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

Where does the MeisterSinger name originate? “It comes from a Wagner opera, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. The Meistersingers, literally ’master singers’, were lyrical poets who competed to create a new style of composition. It’s a name associated with excellence and invention. MeisterSinger came about as setting a new tone in watchmaking.”

The MeisterSinger Pangaea Day Date 365 indicates the time, with its single hand, as well as the weekday and the date

Award-winning designs

The inaugural N°01 followed, with its characteristic single hand. “This aesthetic principle and the concept of a simpler, more poetic way of telling the time define the brand. MeisterSinger encourages us to take our time, to embrace time as a slower, more relaxed notion,” insists Rainer Eckert.

A key point in the brand’s story was the creation of its remarkably realistic moon phase display, as Rainer Eckert explains: “Manfred Brassler came up with the idea while on holiday in Portugal with his children, after witnessing the most incredible full moon.” The Lunascope would go on to win the Red Dot Design Award, the iF Design Award and the German Design Award.

The duo at the head of Meistersinger: Manfred Brassler and Rainer Eckert

"The inspiration for our Bell Hora watch, which sounds the time in passing, is another reference to the history of time measurement, when church clocks would chime the hours. This watch is proof that it is possible to innovate from an ancient tradition, which is very much the MeisterSinger spirit. Another important stage in the brand’s story would be the creation in 2014 of our in-house MSH01 movement in Bienne, Switzerland, featuring twin barrels that store 120 hours of power reserve.” Its distinctive design, which merges technical sophistication with the brand’s aesthetic ideals, earned another Red Dot Award in 2015.

Manfred Brassler imagined the Lunascope’s realistic moon phase while holidaying in Portugal. It has won the Red Dot Design Award, the iF Design Award and the German Design Award

The manual-winding MSH01 and automatic MSA01 equip the Circularis and Singularis ranges. Other models, such as the Lunascope and the Bell Hora, run off Sellita Swiss movements with special modules. “We want to provide the right product at the right price. An in-house movement means a higher price. We’re a brand whose origins and designs are German and which offers Swiss-Made quality at the best possible price,” says Rainer Eckert.

MeisterSinger’s in-house MSH01 movement with twin barrels supplying 120 hours of power reserve

Other forms of artistic expression

The brand produces in the region of 10,000 watches a year and sells worldwide. “Europe is our biggest market, followed by the United States, but we’re also present in Australia, India and many other regions. We work with specialist retailers who understand the brand and like to surprise their customers with unique concepts.”

These customers share common traits, as Eckert notes: “Clearly they appreciate the simplicity and timeless elegance of our dials but most of all they identify with our ethos. Our MeisterSinger owner’s club has members from different horizons. It goes beyond cultural boundaries. It’s wonderful to see how passionate fans of the brand are and truly humbling to have earned the appreciation of individuals around the world.”

How it all began: the MeisterSinger N°01 whose distinctive single hand makes a leisurely sweep of the cream-coloured dial

MeisterSinger has so far produced classic watches, mainly for men or larger wrists with case sizes of 43mm, for example, but as the co-CEO notes, “we don’t target a specific gender. We look beyond differences, age and culture. The 38mm cases we’ve introduced these past few years have been well received and we’re planning two major launches. In August we’re bringing out a more feminine collection that will actually suit any gender. We aim to show that there is more to MeisterSinger than our classic, understated models. In the past we’ve released enamel dial limited editions that show our attachment to traditional crafts, and we’ll be developing other forms of artistic expression and giving them fresh interpretation on our dials.”

The Bell Hora reinvents the traditional passing strike complication, a throwback to the chimes of church clocks.

More than a distinctive single-hand display, the brand is the expression of a singular conception of time.