In collaboration with Junghans
Hands-on: Junghans Pilot
Junghans is investing in Sweden and Scandinavia and, in connection with this, is opening up to more retailers. The historic German watch brand has an impressive line-up of models with its own design, which we recently took a look at in our article about Junghans that you can find here.
Text: The editorial team
Image: Aleksandar Mladenovic
Junghans is investing in Sweden and Scandinavia and in connection with this is opening up for more retailers. The historic German watch brand has an impressed line-up of models with their own design, which we recently took a look at in our article about Junghans which you will find here. In collaboration with Junghans we now take a closer look at one of the manufacturer's stronger collections – Pilot where we have picked out the editorial team's favourites for a classic Eqotime Hands-on article.
Junghans
Junghans, founded in 1861 in south western Germany. Known for its classic well balanced design they have in modern times developed into a brand with devoted followers.
The entrepreneur Erhard Junghans began his horological career with production of parts for movements and quickly won success thanks to the development of modern, efficient manufacturing methods. After a few years the company began to make its own table, wall and floor clocks. As early as 1903 they were the largest in the world with 3000 employees and three million clocks produced per year. At most they had over 10 000 employees in the company.
Read our whole article about Junghans' history and models here.
Junghans Pilot
Junghans Pilot is a watch series that pays tribute to the brand's tradition of precision and functionality, with a design inspired by the world of aviation. It has a robust case and a large, easy to read dial, which makes it particularly useful for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. The watch combines classic style with modern details. The series is known for its functionality, with a clear, contrasting display and a durable construction, which makes it both practical and clean lined for the person looking for a watch for both everyday and tougher use.
The difference between the Junghans Pilot Automatic and Pilot Chronoscope lies mainly in the complications and functions that they offer, as well as their design. Pilot Automatic is a more minimalist, simple automatic watch, with a clean and functional design, while Pilot Chronoscope is a more advanced watch with chronograph functions, which makes it somewhat larger and more technically oriented. If you want an elegant and clean pilot watch without extra functions, the Pilot Automatic is a good choice. If on the other hand you need a timer and like a more complex design, the Pilot Chronoscope is the better option. See more of the collection at Junghans
Specifications
All the models in the collection have a case of 43,3mm. The three watches we have looked at in this article are all in brushed stainless steel which gives them a sporty look which fits well with the connection to pilot watches and that Junghans' historical heritage from aviation and that the watches have been actively used by pilots. The Pilot Automatic has a Junghans J8040.1.6 and the model has in addition to the normal timekeeping a sub second and date wheel positioned at 12 o'clock. The thickness of the case is at 12,5mm and the watch has a power reserve of 38h.
The two chronographs we have in front of us have slightly different details and two different movements, of which the green dialled Pilot Chronoscope is a bit tougher with a Junghans J880.3 as movement where the power reserve is 42h. The one with the black dial is driven by a Junghans J880.4 with a power reserve of 38h. The functions are however the same for both watches and a clear difference from the Pilot Automatic is that the chronograph movements take a bit more room which gives the watches a height of 14,4mm. In addition to this all the watches in the model series have a water resistance to 100m and sapphire crystal which makes for safe use and durability.
The design is clearly connected to aviation with large easy to read dials without unnecessary design details. There are quite a few fun unique details such as the case being eight sided and on the chronograph models the pushers being oval. Our favourite is the models with green dials that go from dark green in the middle and over to black at the outer edge of the dials which we at Eqotime think looks really good. If you like the watches generally there are a full 10 models in the Pilot series to choose between which you can find here or at a retailer of Junghans.
