One word too many
By Sam Okafor, London ยท
The word is 'Automatic'. It's printed on the dial, and on a design this spare it's the loudest thing there. The hand-wound Max Bill has a calmer face partly because it doesn't need to tell you how it's powered.
Otherwise this is the same lovely idea at 38 mm: fine numerals, thin hands, a silver dial under a tall acrylic dome that catches the light at the edges. The extra 4 mm over the hand-wound version suits most modern wrists better and the 10 mm thickness is still slim, though you notice the bump of the rotor housing in profile. The case sides grow a little taller and the lugs look slightly shorter as a result.
1,000 to 1,150 dollars, 38-hour reserve, 30 m, 20 mm strap. If you won't wind a watch every morning, this is the Max Bill to buy. If you will, get the hand-wound one and enjoy the quieter dial.