MeisterSinger Astroscope Hands-On Review

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MeisterSinger Astroscope

Have you ever said to yourself, day and date is nice on a watch, but I would love if there were some celestial bodies I could correlate with the days? Well, MeisterSinger has a watch for you then! Yes, the MeisterSinger Astroscope combines horology and astronomy together, along with a one-handed mechanism to give you a watch that some would call quirky; I’ll label it as niche. In the world of watch collecting, all of MeisterSinger watches are very niche, no matter the model you choose. That is one of the reasons I have been wanting to get my hands on a few of them for years, as it is not the same old diver or pilot watch most of us are used to seeing. Telling time with one hand is not easy though, and takes a little getting used to. Compared to the Salthora X I reviewed late last year, the Astroscope is a much dressier piece and will make your head shake just a little bit more, at least until you get used to it, but I think that is part of the fun of this piece.

MeisterSinger Astroscope Specifications:

• 40mm Stainless Steel Case
• 10.5.mm Thick
• 20mm Lug Width
• 47mm Lug to Lug
• Domed Sapphire Crystal
• Sw220 Movement With added module designed by MeisterSinger
• Days of the week with their respective celestial bodies 
• Date at 6 o’clock
• Leather strap with faux crocodile grain

• Retail Price $2295

https://meistersinger.us/shop/astroscope-black-old-radium/

I think the first thing to talk about is just how you go about telling the time with this MeisterSinger Astroscope and what the days of the week and celestial bodies have to do with each other. Let’s start with the simpler of the two: telling time. Just like a regular 3-handed watch, the Astroscope is set much the same way, except you are only setting the hour. There is no minute hand nor second hand, so it is pretty straightforward. Telling time is easy enough if you are just concerned with what hour it is, figuring out what minute is where it starts to get dicey. Basically, you can only tell the minutes in 5-minute increments and if you are someone that needs to know the time down to the second, well, you are out of luck. More on that in a little bit. This watch also displays the date and the date. The date is located at the bottom of the dial, easy enough. The days of the week is where things get funky. The days of the week are clearly labeled on the dial, as well as images of celestial bodies and a white dot that signifies what day it is. This white marker moves around the dial, not in a linear fashion, but more so in a circle. Instead of me repeating what I did in the video and just copy and pasting from the website if you want to read more about the celestial bodies, Norse Mythology, and all of that fun stuff, you can do so HERE.

With all that said, it begs the question. Why would anyone want to purchase this MeisterSinger Astroscope? It is not easy to tell time at a glance, you don’t know the exact minute and seconds are not even a thing. Then you have celestial bodies. I could ask this though, why wouldn’t you buy it? Let me explain. Yes, it is a weird piece, but I think that is the allure. The watch itself is well constructed, attractive, has a decent Swiss Movement that is obviously modified for the use of the day disc mechanism and you probably have nothing like it in your collection. If someone were to actually notice your watch and recognized it as a watch because let’s face it, so many these days are wearing Apple or other smartwatches, it is for sure a conversation piece. The dial, as confusing as it may be at first is actually well laid out, and if you are not a stickler for accuracy, you can get used to it. Sure, it probably won’t be your everyday watch, and if you are someone that needs to know the exact time at work, probably best to wear something else at the office. But for a fun piece, why not?

I’m not here to sell watches though, only review them, so let me get to the rest of the MeisterSinger Astroscope and finish this up. The push/pull crown functions as it should, the leather strap is decent, but does have a fake crocodile grain, and lacks a deployant clasp, something I feel a watch such as this should have. The polished case is a little blingy but is beautiful to look at and the lume is surprisingly good. Pretty much the entire dial lights up, something I was not expecting. For those that love to see the movement, there is an exhibition case back, sapphire of course, just like the front crystal and it easily fits my 7 1/2 inch wrist, with a little room left over. If you have an 8-inch wrist though, I am not sure this would fit you out of the box. That is where two-strap size options are useful, unfortunately, that is not available at this time.

With so many similar watches out there, it was fun to review something way out there, yet one that has a traditional look and feel. Is the MeisterSinger Astroscope the most practical? Absolutely not. Living in the city and driving a Ford Raptor isn’t either, but I see people doing that every day. The Astroscope is peculiar, it’s quirky, and I have no idea how this watch was conceived, but I’m glad it is out there. It’s good to have options and trail off the beaten path once in a while. Would I wear it? Probably once in a while to an event or maybe a wedding, but I can see the appeal to those who like something eclectic or just have everything else and want to add something different to their collection.