German Design | Swiss Made | Single-hand

MeisterSinger - The Single-hand Watch
MeisterSinger - The Single-hand Watch

Swiss Made

German Design

Single-hand

MeisterSinger - The Single-hand Watch

Swiss Made

German Design

Single-hand

Single-hand watches

The relaxed way of perceiving time

It only needs a little practice to tell the time with a single-hand watch and then it’s dead easy, even intuitive. The narrow tip of the hand points to the fine five-minute markers on the edge of the dial, making it possible to tell the time almost to the nearest minute.

Single-hand watches literally sum up the entire experience by pointing to that one precious moment and thus conveying a reassuring sense of time.

Der Zeiger weist an seiner Spitze am Zifferblattrand auf die Fünf-Minuten-Striche

It’s child’s play once you’ve understood it. Between two large hour markers, there is a longer marker for the half hour, two markers for the quarter hours, and fine markers for five minutes. This enables you to tell the time almost to the minute with just one hand.

You can tell the time almost to the minute with just one hand. Between two large hour markers, there is a longer marker for the half hour, two markers for the quarter hours, and fine markers for five minutes.

Inspired by the sundial, up to the middle of the 18th century, church towers, town houses, table clocks, wall clocks, and the first wearable timepieces were all fitted with just one hand. Even today, historical tower clocks with only one hand can be found in every part of the world, such as London’s Westminster Abbey.

Right up to the 18th century, watches and clocks all featured just one single hand. It was only in the modern era with the onset of industrialization that minute and second hands were added, their rapid movement making people constantly aware of the passing of precious time. Today we know that from then on, things became increasingly complex and complicated.

Even today, historical tower clocks with only one hand can be found all around the world. For example, Westminster Abbey in London, Toledo Cathedral, Delft City Hall, and the Freiburg Minster.

A single-hand watch has no frenetic minute and second hand, making time seem to pass more slowly in our fast-moving world. The finely designed tip of the single hand literally points to the current moment in time. And a glance at the watch reminds the wearer of that one essential thing: The present moment itself.

A single-hand watch encourages a relaxed approach to time in our fast-moving world. The time is displayed without a frenetic minute and second hand, making time seem to pass more slowly. The finely designed tip of the single hand literally points to the current moment in time. And a glance at the watch reminds the wearer of that one essential thing: The present moment itself.

The origin of time measurement

The origin of time measurement by means of simple equipment probably dates back some 6,000 years when the first sundials were invented – basically the very first single-hand watches.

But it was not until the 14th century that the first mechanical timepieces first appeared. Monks built simple mechanical devices that made bells ring at regular intervals – the forerunners of today’s modern clocks.

The first single-hand watches

Inspired by the sundial, up to the 18th century, church towers, town houses, table clocks, wall clocks, and the first portable timepieces were all fitted with just one hand.

They showed how the day progressed, when it was time to rest, or when to finish work in the evenings. They helped people to plan their day.

Even today, historical tower clocks with only one hand can be found in every part of the world, such as London’s Westminster Abbey.

The second hand

It was only modern times and the advent of industrialization that made it necessary to think in terms of increasingly short time periods. Clocks were gradually fitted with minute and second hands, their faster movement constantly reminding people of the rapid passing of precious time. Today we know that from then on, things became increasingly complicated.

Back to the origins

MeisterSinger single-hand watches

Today, we do everything we can to save time: We optimize technology, simplify processes, and speed up communication. Changes happen at a staccato pace – which we can hardly keep up with. As we seek to gain time in this way, we are robbed of both energy and vitality. It sounds paradoxical to say that a glance at the clock can help you relax, but you will find it’s true when you look at a MeisterSinger single-hand watch, as MeisterSinger goes back to the early days of the art of watchmaking and now illustrates how relaxing it can be to tell the time in the simplest possible way. And in doing so to notice that when we become calm, we come closer to ourselves again at the same time.

Discover the collection
Einzeigeruhr MeisterSinger N°01 Sonnenschliff Blau mit Handaufzugswerk Sellita SW210 sowie cognacfarbenem Lederband mit weißer Naht

The rediscovery of time

Just take a five-minute journey through the history of time measurement, beginning in the Stone Age, through to the Middle Ages, onwards to the industrial revolution, and finishing in the present.