MeisterSinger Bell Hora 2022
The MeisterSinger Bell Hora 2022 builds on the success of the inaugural version of the watch, launched in 2021. Equipped with a sound spiral, the watch makes one lone strike every hour. With a keen asking price of €3,690, this must be the most affordable chiming watch on the market.
Last year, MeisterSinger provided me with a sample of its Bell Hora model for a few days of hands-on evaluation. Consistent with the Münster-based brand’s other models, the Bell Hora is a very accessible ownership proposition. And, it chimes.
With this model, the German firm has paired its lone-hand performance with an alarm function. At its heart sits a base Sellita SW 200-1 and a module. Connected to the motion works, a hammer strikes a ‘sound spiral’, emitting a single chime. Once every hour the alarm sounds en passant, however, if absolute silence is required, a pushpiece at 2 o’clock serves as a mute button.
When I wore the loan watch in 2021, I was not only smitten with its appearance but also the aural charms of the single note, played every hour. Clearly, I am not alone in my admiration. Indeed, the model has been a roaring success for the German marque and has led to the firm releasing the MeisterSinger Bell Hora 2022.
This latest iteration of the Bell Hora sets aside the blue complexion of the 2021 model in favour of a new black dial with sumptuous gold accents. Other than embracing new hues, the watch remains the same. This comes as no surprise as the model won a reddot award in 2021, a fitting testament to the model’s highly attractive appearance.
Costing only €3,690, the MeisterSinger Bell Hora 2022 must be the most affordable route to chiming watch ownership.
The brand’s press release
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.
Sophisticated module design
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.
Further reading