This Week in Watches: May 30, 2020 – Affordable Edition

Welcome back to This Week in Watches for May 30, 2020, the affordable edition. This week we bring an interesting assortment of timepieces that are a bit easier on the wallet.

Junghans Meister S Chronoscope

Ok, the first entry of today happens to be the least affordable, but it’s not eye-watering expensive. The brand new Junghans Meister S comes to us with a very sporty looking case and a dial design that’s reminiscent of some Porsche Design watches. That’s not a bad thing and I think it looks clean without being sterile like many Teutonic watches. An ETA 7750 (called the J880.1 here) powers these 45mm watches and features a day and date display. Regarding variety, a neat PVD stainless piece kicks thing off and is limited to 888 pieces for €2,490. It comes on a rubber-backed leather strap.

Additionally, regular production steel models with matching bracelets are available with an anthracite or black/green dial for €2,290. Visit Junghans for more information.

Sternglas ZIRKEL Edition Bauhaus

Speaking of Teutonic, the Sternglas ZIRKEL Edition Bauhaus is about as crisp as they come. The small Hamburg-based brand has been gaining in popularity with its attractive and affordable watches. This 40mm limited edition (250 pieces) is no different. Apparently, fans chose this design in a competition amongst five contestants. The watch is DLC coated, has a domed sapphire crystal, and uses a Miyota 9015 automatic. The watch is priced at €529 (it’s actually €449 right now). Visit the official Sternglas site for more information.

Système Formel Mathématiques

Next up is the type of affordable watch that makes me think of one person and one person only: Tomas. He loves oddball watches and this is no exception! The Système Formel Mathématiques is one funky looking watch that has formulas and Greek symbols all over its dial. Intriguingly, the founder wished to combine timekeeping and the them of math and I must say that I actually like it.

Moreover, the 38mm stainless watches come with the hand-winding ETA 2801-2 and a nice looking flat link bracelet. Oddly, the brand chose double-domed mineral glass, but that’s a small nit to pick. You can choose either a white or dark gray dial. Personally, I really like the hands. Watches start at €1,200. Neat stuff. Head to Kickstarter and the brand’s official site for more info.

HERO-ERA GMT

Meanwhile, our next affordable watch is a £1,300 GMT brought to us by the Historic Endurance Rallying Organization (HERO). They’ve come together with Swiss private label Alatron to create this 44mm stainless watch. A Soprod works away inside and powers a watch that reminds me a lot of an Anonimo. Further, the brand tells us that they’ll donate £100 from each sale to charity. If you’re a historic rally fan, you probably know of HERO and this offering may appeal to you. Head to the HERO Events page for more information.

Viqueria Levante

Last and actually least — expensive that is — is the highly affordable Viqueria Levante chronograph. Viqueria makes affordable watches that are assembled in Italy. They proclaim that past releases have sold out very quickly. So, let’s see about the Levante. We have a Seiko VK64 Meca-Quartz ticking inside a 42mm stainless case. Honestly, the case apes the Speedmaster as does the bezel. But, as we’ll see, the pricing makes all that fairly easy to overlook. Unsurprisingly, there are loads of dial choices including Swedish meteorite. Of special note is the Braveheart model above (seriously!). Viqueria launched this watch on Kickstarter and it funded quickly. Now, you can order via their site directly for $298 (meteorite dials cost $487).

Folks, that’s it for This Week in Watches – the affordable edition. Have a great rest of your weekend!