Review: MeisterSinger Unomat

1 0 Friday, 16 July 2021 Edit this post

Presented last June (our introductory article here), the Unomat has been designed and engineered by Meistersinger to withstand tough land and water environments.

Like most timepieces from the German watchmaker, it uses a single hand to indicate the time: needle-sharp and filled with a luminescent material, this large hand sweeps over the 12 hours divided by 144 markers, each representing 5 minutes.

The display principle is similar to that of the first mechanical clocks which used just one hand to indicate the time of the day (you can read more about single-hand timepieces in watchmaking history here).

This alternative and charmingly simple representation of time suggests a more relaxed way to consider the passing of time. It is not by chance that the logo of the brand is a Fermata, the musical notation for a pause.

The Unomat is available in two dial variations, in black (ref. UN902) or steel blue (ref. UN917). For our review, we used the latter.

The watch comes in a round 43 mm x 13.2 mm stainless steel case alternating satin brushed and polished surfaces. The screwed crown, with the embossed symbol of the brand, is protected by robust guards that contribute to add character to this sporty timepiece water resistant up to a pressure of 30 bar (approximately 300 metres / 1,000 feet).

The solid caseback in anti-allergenic steel - like the rest of the case and the bracelet - protects the Swiss self-winding Sellita SW 400 calibre that is enclosed by layers of soft iron, a metal that has a great capacity to absorb magnetic waves preventing them from reaching the mechanisms.

Thanks to this solution, the Unomat is resistant to magnetic fields up to 24000 A/m (Ampere per metre), hence protected by radiations from cell phones, lab equipment and other electrical devices. Beating at the frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), the movement guarantees an autonomy of 38 hours.

Protected by a slightly-domed sapphire crystal, the dial combines the only hand to double-digit hour markings and a round date aperture at 6 o'clock.

The hand and the indexes are treated with Super-LumiNova, glowing in the dark in blue and green respectively.

The Unomat is completed by an integrated bracelet in anti-allergenic stainless steel that is not only robust but also comfortable thanks to its five-links-per-row design.

Putting together a robust case with excellent performances in terms of waterproofness and resistance to magnetic fields, a reliable Swiss movement, and an eye-catching and unconventional dial, the new MeisterSinger Unomat also offers excellent value for the money with a retail price of Euro 1,990. meistersinger.com