In the mid-1950s, Max Bill was commissioned by the Schramberg watch company “Junghans” to design a kitchen clock. They chose him because of his wide range of activities and his focus on more than just product design. The only specifications were that the clock should be made of ceramic and be equipped with a timer. Apart from that, Bill and his team of students at the Ulm School of Design were free to create their own design.

Above all, Max Bill himself demanded perfect legibility, which is why the dial was reduced to the essential parts. The minute scale is separated by easily recognizable bars and clearly differentiated from the larger lines of the hour scale. This is further emphasized by the Arabic numerals specially designed for the watch and the three clearly distinguishable clock hands. The design of the dial for the timer is also based on this one. The dial is round and thus follows the logical movement of the clock hands. Overall, the clock has a teardrop shape, which results from the outline of these two elements.

When Max Bill first saw the Bauhaus building in Dessau, he said that it was “something never seen before: white walls and huge dark glass facades with the student dormitory in the foreground and the balcony doors accentuated with red lead.” Junghans writes that this enthusiasm can also be found in the clock. “This clock carries the basic ideas of the Bauhaus within it. The matte silver dial is reminiscent of the white walls of the building in Dessau, the anthracite-colored case is reminiscent of the striking facade, and the red hands reflect the color of the famous red doors.” The design, which optimally fulfills the function, also stands out.

This kitchen clock dial was the starting point for all following Max Bill clocks.

In 1959, a second model of the kitchen clock appeared as a wall clock without the timer, and from 1961 Junghans launched Max Bill wristwatches. Their dials are variants of the original kitchen clock with models that add an additional minute scale or omit the numerals altogether and add luminous dots for reading in the dark. Both versions purposely do not include a date.

The “Max Bill Edition Set 60,” a series of mechanical wristwatches, was also released in 1961 to celebrate the 60th anniversary. Limited to 1,060 pieces, the watch set consists of the models “Max Bill Automatic,” “Max Bill Mega Kleine Sekunde,” and “Max Bill Regulator.” Each of the watches comes with its own case in a joint edition box with a portrait of Max Bill on the inside.

The watch designs received six iF Design awards in 1964.

A new edition entitled “Max Bill by Junghans” was launched in 1977. These models have been icons of purist watch design ever since. Today, the watches are available in many variations and are among the most copied objects on the Internet. Their design adheres exactly to the formal specifications implemented by Max Bill in his three-hand watches.

“Max Bill's design is characterized by its clarity and reduction. In the case of the wristwatches that Bill designed for Junghans in the early 1960s, it is the good clarity of the presentation. Particularly noteworthy is the typography of the watches with numbered dials, which are clearly rounded and unadorned, revealing the typical signature of the Bauhaus-trained artist — this becomes even clearer if you look closely at the number 4,” Matthias Stotz, Managing Director of Junghans GmbH & Co. KG. (kl)