Review: MeisterSinger Stratoscope

Hands-on review of the MeisterSinger Stratoscope, their second model featuring a moon phase display. Price €3690. MeisterSinger 2021 novelties

In 2018 MeisterSinger presented the Lunascope, the first astronomical watch of the German brand that we reviewed here.

In 2021, the specialist of single-hand watches is now introducing the Stratoscope, their second model featuring a moon phase display.

Compared to the Lunascope, the Stratoscope comes in a larger stainless steel case (43 mm vs 40 mm) whose satin-brushed and polished finishes highlight the sportier design. The large crown is adorned with an embossed MeisterSinger logo, the musical notation for a pause. Water resistance is guaranteed up to 5 bar (approximately 50 metres / 165 feet).

Thanks to curved lugs, the watch sits comfortably on the wrist, well secured by a brown saddle leather strap with a double folding clasp in steel. Several strap options are available.

Protected by a domed sapphire crystal, the jet black dial gradates to blue in the bottom half somehow reminding the spectacle of the aurora borealis visible in the far North. 

The moon phase display at 12 o'clock stands out for its huge moon glowing in the dark (another key difference compared to the Lunascope) together with the needle-shaped hand and the hour markers.

The moon disc realistically depicts the surface of the earth’s satellite offering a truly eye-catching spectacle, especially when the lights dim in the environment.

Reading the time on the Stratoscope is easy and even fun once you get accustomed to the concept of a single hand sweeping over the 12 hours divided by 144 markers, each representing 5 minutes. The dial also offers an always useful date indication at 6 o’clock.

The satellite’s various phases are represented with great precision. While the moon takes 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.9 seconds to circumnavigate the Earth, most watches round this figure down to 29.5 days via the movement, which means they deviate by eight hours per year and need to be corrected by one complete day every three years. Differently, the MeisterSinger Stratoscope — once correctly set and assuming that the watch runs continuously — only needs to be corrected by one day every 128 years!

To achieve this result, MeisterSinger equipped the Swiss automatic Sellita SW 220-1 with a MeisterSinger moon phase module which integrates two additional gear systems incorporating four wheels to drive the moon disc and a further two wheels for the setting mechanism.

Beating at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and offering an autonomy of 38 hours, the nicely finished movement and its rotor, engraved with the logo of the brand, can be viewed through the screwed glass exhibition back. 

Designed with absolute attention to details, the new MeisterSinger Stratoscope is a watch that stands out for its unique look. The retail price of Euro 3,690 is in line with the high quality of the timepiece and its original interpretation of the moon-phase complication. meistersinger.com