MeisterSinger : Bell Hora Black & Gold

MeisterSinger rings in 2022 with the new Bell Hora

Popular Bell Hora

First presented in 2021, the Bell Hora drew a great deal of attention due to its unusual “sonnerie au passage” chiming complication. Exactly on the hour, the Bell Hora produces a friendly chime, alerting the wearer to the passing of time without having to look at the dial. In 2021, this extraordinary wristwatch won the Red Dot Design Award for its overall design concept and has been nominated for the “Watch of the Year 2022” award by the German-language trade journal Armbanduhren. This year, MeisterSinger is adding a third, particularly exquisite variant to this popular model, in which the numerals and the bell are depicted in gold on a jet black dial.

Time – highly intuitive
The hourly chime of the Bell Hora is neither an alarm nor a countdown. It does not interrupt the flow of time, but gives it a broad, melodious backdrop. The concept is fully in line with the MeisterSinger ideal that a watch should keep time in a highly intuitive manner as its hand passes across a fine line – or by triggering a pleasant sound on its way around the dial. Church tower clocks, to which the “sonnerie au passage” relates, also count the passing of time with their chiming mechanisms. But they also compel the listener to count: “It is now eleven o’clock.” The Bell Hora always rings just once to tell its wearer that a new hour has just begun, fully en passant.

The MS Bell automatic movement ticks inside the Bell Hora, which is fitted with the chiming module developed by MeisterSinger. The MS Bell is based on the Swiss-made Sellita SW200 movement. 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 pusher above the crown makes sure the bell does not toll for the happy owner if not desired, as the chime can be switched off by simply pulling the pusher out. A black marking shows whether the watch is going to remain silent for the time being.