Disclaimer: I purchased this watch pre-owned and was not externally incentivized in any way to make this review. This review is not sponsored by MeisterSinger, or any other entity. All opinions here are my own. Since this watch was purchased pre-owned, and worn/used, please make note that the experience might differ slightly from that of a brand new watch.
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MeisterSinger
I like the idea of a one hand watch. I agree that it is a silly way to present the time, but I also think three hand watches are a pretty silly way to tell the time when you have a cellphone that you’re looking at all the time anyway. There is something about single hand watches that says, “I don’t really care enough to be precise or punctual, but I’d like something better than a guesstimate of what time it is.”. It sounds like the perfect recipe for a holiday watch, and with the 200m of water resistance, this MeisterSinger Metris might actually be a great option for a holiday watch.
The MeisterSinger Metris has a retail price of $1795 and is offered in a few different case and dial colors, with a few strap options for each selection. This is the blue Metris which was originally purchased on the light blue textile strap.
Let’s check it out!
Case
When I first saw photographs of this watch, I liked what the case looked like, but I didn’t expect to like it this much. The design is fantastic, and definitely feels like a sports watch while also being interesting and versatile.
I measured the case to be 38.5 mm at it’s shortest points but 40 mm in average diameter (across the 4 o’clock and 10 o’clock), 44.3 mm from lug-to-lug and 11.15 mm tall. The case is made of stainless steel, has a fixed polished bezel, and a mid-case that combines plenty of beautiful brushed and polished surfaces that might make you think this was designed by Seiko or Grand Seiko.
I love the lug design, the way the case effortlessly curves into them, and the polished surface running down the side. Great stuff here! The lug width is 20 mm and the lugs are not drilled through.
The crystal is slightly curved and doesn’t have the best AR coating, which means you will catch a few unwanted reflections. But given how legible the dial is, this isn’t much of an issue.
There is a 5.25 mm screw-down crown at the 3 o’clock position that is protected by a well integrated pair of crown guards that feel a bit like Panerai, but in a smaller and more elegant form factor.
Flipping it over, you have a solid screw-down case-back with some text on it. This watch is rated for up-to 200m of water resistance.
Dial
The dial presents a unique experience, but on its own is quite simple and traditional. The base of the dial is matte finished and blue in color, with printed dial elements.
There is a printed outer track that serves as the primary time keeping scale, and you can think of it as being graduated for minutes, with every short tick being an increment of five minutes, the medium ticks fifteen minutes and thirty minutes and the larger ticks indicating the hours.
The hour markers also have double digit Arabic numerals for all the markers except 6 o’clock. The quality of printing is good, and the hour markers are lumed.
There is a date window at the 6 o’clock position that has a white date wheel and black text. A color-matched date wheel might’ve been nice, but white date wheel doesn’t look out of place. There is a cyclops window above the date window and the watch name printed above the window in white.
The single hand carries the entire dial and watch, and is oversized with a sporty taper, making this watch look like a tachometer of a car. The entire hand is painted white and is lumed. The finishing looks good and the proportions are good too.
Getting used to the five minute intervals is easy, but I tend to just approximate the time in 15 minute increments with this one, and I like that somewhat laid back attitude.
Lume
The lume on this watch isn’t the best, given the painted hand and somewhat lightly painted hour numerals. But I don’t think anyone with a single hand watch is looking for a tool-watch like night time viewing experience, so I think it can be excused.
The hand has a lot of surface area, and lasts a bit longer than the numerals, and the lume is good enough for quick bright to dark transitions.
Here it is compared with the Sinn U50 SDR-T, which is a more capable diver also with printed dial elements, but more generously lumed.
Movement
This watch uses an ETA2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1 based on availability, and is modified to support the single 12-hour hand display style. This is a reasonable movement choice for the price.
I measured +5 spd on average in the dial-up position, and +5 spd on average in the crown-up position. So good performance too.
On The Wrist
The supposed 38 mm wears a lot more like a 40 mm diameter watch, and 44.3 mm lug-to-lug width wears great on my wrist, and the 11.15 mm height with the flat case-back helps it stay low on wrist.
I’m not a big fan of this NATO strap, because I’m not a fan of NATO straps in general and I also think this color doesn’t really work. I will say that it is a lot more comfortable on a regular two piece strap, and the two piece strap delivers a much more sleek and refined wrist experience.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, I like this watch. I mostly like it just because of how much of a different experience it is. I love the laid-back attitude of a single hand watch, and I think the design is really well executed. Both the dial and the case are excellent, and this watch seems to live up to its price-tag. The lume isn’t the best and I’m not a huge fan of this NATO strap, but there are other strap options and I don’t think the target audience for this watch will be too picky about lume. So all said, I think these are worth checking out, even if its just to experience for a few weeks or months.
Strap Change
Thanks for reading!
