MeisterSinger - Bell Hora Enamel Edition

The Bell Hora, MeisterSinger's single-hand watch which strikes the hour, is available in a 50-piece limited edition with enamel dial. Price €5,990

The Bell Hora, MeisterSinger's single-hand watch that offers a “Sonnerie au passage” complication, is now available in a special 50-piece limited edition that features a precious glossy white enamel dial with a layout that harks back to the days of early pocket watches.

Enamel dials guarantee exceptional qualities, such as the unalterable intensity of their hue over time as well as a unique glossy appearance. Only a few experienced and skilled artisans are capable to fully master this age-old process that has been applied to horology since the Renaissance and has remained virtually unchanged over time. 

It all starts with a sophisticated mixture of glass-forming silicates and oxides  that is ground into a fine powder in a mortar. The enamel dust is then applied to the prepared copper dial using a fine screen. The dial is initially fired at around 800°C in a special furnace and then needs to cool down slowly. After cooling, the dial is dried and cleaned and the process is repeated for a second and a third time, until the dial has attained its unique glowing texture.  

The reverse side also needs to be similarly treated and fired several times to prevent the enamel from warping and cracking on the dial side due to excess stress. To achieve a perfect result, extreme cleanliness and the absence of dust are crucial throughout the entire procedure. Only a few of the painstakingly crafted dials are considered when finally assembling the watch. 

At this point, the numerals and the other indications can be transferred on the enamel surface of the dial. For this edition, the enamel dial is enriched by the fine serif typeface, the red and blue highlights, the thermally blued single hand, and a spiral that suggests the flow of time.

As typical of Meistersinger timepieces, the single hand rotates around the dial pointing to the fine, five-minute markers on the edge of the dial. Reading the time 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. 

Thanks to its chiming complication, the Bell Hora produces a friendly chime exactly on the hour, alerting the wearer to the passing of time without having to look at the dial. 

This is made possible by the proprietary chiming module developed by MeisterSinger, which equips the 4 Hz MS Bell automatic movement based on the Swiss-made Sellita SW200.

Over a 60-minute period, it gathers the energy it requires to produce a precise, well-dosed strike against the sound fork located behind the dial. 

The movement and its oscillating weight, which builds a 38-hour power reserve, are visible through the 6 screws exhibition back of the 43 mm polished and satin-brushed stainless steel case.

The pusher at 2 o'clock makes it possible to disable the chime so that no sound will be produced when the wearer asks for silence. A black marking shows at a glance whether the watch is going to chime on the hour or remain silent.

Matched to a brown leather strap and water resistant to 5 bar (50 metres / 165 feet), the new MeisterSinger Bell Hora Enamel Edition has a retail price of Euro 5,990. meistersinger.com