Three Reasons We Love Bauhaus Style Watches

Three Reasons We Love Bauhaus Style Watches

A giant snowstorm is blanketing the U.S., with cities as far south as Austin Texas completely covered in snow. Maybe we’ve been staring at white expanses of snow for too long, but lately we’ve been craving clean white dials, thin indices, and simple watch hands. Don’t get us wrong, we’ll always appreciate a bicolor ceramic bezel, but simplicity definitely holds its own appeal. If your watch complications are feeling a little, well, complicated, here are 3 reasons you should add another Bauhaus watch to your collection.

Image courtesy of Gear Patrol

If you're a fan of Nomos, Junghans, and Patek Philippe, you might already know that all of these manufacturers and several others have Bauhaus watches in their collections. The Nomos Tangente and Junghans Max Bill are two of the most famous Bauhaus watches.

So what exactly is "Bauhaus?" Here is what our friends at Worn and Wound had to say: "Open from 1919 to 1933, the Bauhaus was a sort of Utopian school of art, craft and architecture that has had a major and lasting effect on modern design. Founded by architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany, the Bauhaus in its fairly short lifetime output some of the great artists, designers and architects of the 20th century." Unfortunately in 1933 Nazis shut down the school. Amazingly though, we can still see a lot of Bauhaus influence in watch design today. 

bauhaus watch

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Elevate The Movement

A love for mechanical watches starts with an appreciation of complex clockwork. Bauhaus watches offer a simple design aesthetic that complements the complexity underneath the dial.  A Bauhaus watch doesn’t need to impress us with diamond indices or Breguet hands. Instead, it distills watchmaking down to its very essence, allowing the wearer to appreciate the watch’s primary function as a time telling device. Bauhaus watchmakers such as Nomos provide watches with an exhibition caseback. In doing this, they place the focus back on the elegance and ingenuity of mechanical movements. 

bauhaus watch

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Clear Your Watch, Clear Your Mind 

We can’t help but notice that we tend towards wearing the Bauhaus in our collection when we’re feeling a little mentally scattered. Just the act of putting on that clean, crisp marriage of design and purpose makes us feel a little more in control. We fully endorse wearing a watch that you can emulate, especially in the middle of winter. So put your diver to the side and pick up your Max Bills. Then watch as your to-do list practically writes itself. 

Cut The Complications 

There’s nothing like a yearlong pandemic to make you appreciate the simple things in life, like hour-long waits for brunch or going through airport security. Cutting out the extraneous things in life can actually help us appreciate them even more. When you take away screw-down pushers and moon phase complications from a wristwatch, you’re left with the unadorned heart of the machine. The absence of hour repeaters and tachymeters can actually renew your appreciation for more complicated watches. A day or two with a minimalist watch can kickstart your craving for a gorgeous GMT.    

everest band white rubber on a rolex daytona

Minimalist Design, Maximalist Impact 

After you’ve worn a palate-cleansing Bauhaus watch for a week, you’re probably ready for a little more visual stimuli. Embrace your maximalist side with our carefully designed, highly-rated colorful rubber straps for Rolex watchesOr, if you’re still feeling a minimalist vibe, commit to our winter white Rolex rubber strap for a cool, super-clean look. 

Written By: Meghan Clark


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