Max Bill
The Bauhaus architect and designer Max Bill’s wristwatch line for Junghans, first produced in 1961, in continuous production with minimal design change since. The Automatic and Chronoscope are the family staples; the design vocabulary is the cleanest commercial expression of Bauhaus in horology.
Sub-lines
- OpenThe 38mm three-hand automatic: the line’s reference design. ETA 2824-2 base (J800.1), domed Plexiglas crystal in the period-correct refs, sapphire in the modern variants.
- OpenThe 40mm Max Bill chronograph: Valjoux 7750 base (J880.1), bicompax-or-tricompax sub-dial layouts that follow Bill’s original 1962 chronograph design.
References in this family
Which ref to buy
The Max Bill is Junghans's most famous watch, designed by the Swiss artist and designer Max Bill in 1961. Bauhaus principles applied to watch design: clean numerals, no unnecessary elements, perfect proportions. Available as a hand-wind, automatic, or quartz. The automatic uses an ETA 2824-2.
- 1Open
Max Bill Automatic -- Bauhaus design icon, correct proportions, the most coherent application of design principles to an affordable watch.
- The case for it:
- The Max Bill Automatic is one of the few watches at its price with a genuine design pedigree -- not a vintage tribute, but a watch designed by the actual person whose name it carries. The dial is a Bauhaus text study: everything present is necessary, nothing is decorative. It competes against Nomos for the design-conscious buyer and wins on price.
- Consider instead if:
- Junghans secondary market is weak. The ETA movement is standard. Nomos uses in-house movements and has a stronger collector following. Buyers who want Bauhaus watches with collector credibility should compare carefully.
Rankings last reviewed 2026-06-07. Editorial perspective only. Not financial advice.