Bell Hora Enamel Edition

The dial of this strictly limited edition is made of a material requiring delicate craftmanship that has only been mastered by very few artists over the last century, i.e., enamel. The glossy, white dial is designed in the style of an early pocket watch from an era when people still kept their timepieces on a chain. Together with the additional numerals 13–24 arranged in a circle, the dial provides an intuitive overview of the entire course of the day. The bell symbol in the lower half of the dial refers to the otherwise unseen feature of this timepiece: The chiming of the bell on the hour.

The stainless steel case is 43 mm in diameter, water-resistant up to 5 bar, and fitted with a sapphire glass over the dial that is domed on one side. A pusher is located above the crown at 2 o’clock that can be used to switch the chiming of the Bell Hora on or off. The movement can be easily viewed through the fourfold screwed glass exhibition back as it performs its high-precision task.

The MS Bell automatic movement ticks inside the Bell Hora and is fitted with the chiming module developed by MeisterSinger. The movement is based on the Swiss Sellita SW200, which is specially modified for MeisterSinger’s single-hand watches. 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. During the quiet hours, the mechanism can be disengaged by pressing the pusher located above the crown. When the pusher is pulled out, a black mark on it indicates that the watch will remain silent for the upcoming hours. The rotor provides the watch with a power reserve of 38 hours.

The manufacturing of enamel dials is an ancient science in itself. Since the Middle Ages, clock dials have been enameled using a sophisticated mixture of glass-forming silicates and oxides. Today, however, only very few people still understand this elaborate, highly complex process. The finely ground base material is melted at high temperatures with a short firing time and fired onto the prepared substrate – in our case a brass dial. That’s how genuine high-quality enamel watch dials are made. With a melodious “sonnerie au passage” on the hour, the Bell Hora is reviving an almost forgotten complication. It always chimes just once to tell its wearer that a new hour has begun. The Bell Hora has received the Red Dot Design Award for its overall design concept. The edition is limited to 50 pieces and a genuine collector’s item.