The Defakto Meta is the perfect example of German Bauhaus design

When it comes to German watches, it is hard not to think of the Bauhaus school of design where everything is pared down to keep only the most functional elements. And for the German watch brand, Defakto, this is the philosophy they have chosen to embrace for their watches as demonstrated by their latest watch – Meta.

For those who are unfamiliar with Defakto, it was founded in 2009 by Raphael Ickler. The brand focuses on building high-quality minimalist watches and all aspects of the business from design to development, production, communication and watchmaking are done by the founder himself.

The Defakto Meta was made in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Defakto in 2019 and pays tribute to the very first watch that Defakto made, the Eins, which was also a one-hander. The new Meta takes this concept of slowing time down with only a single hour hand and emphasises its legibility thanks to the wider single hand and indices. This design element was borrowed from the Defakto Transit, a watch that recently won the German Design Award 2020.

The single hand makes one full revolution in 12 hours, so you won’t get a precise reading of time, but rather an approximation of how far along you are in any given hour. The 40mm case of the Meta is made with 316L stainless steel that has been sandblasted and PVD coated in black. The crystal is a domed sapphire and even with this bulge, the watch is only 9.8mm thick. As for the movement, you will get the tried and tested ETA 2824-2, made in Switzerland.

The price of this Defakto Meta is EUR 794.12 (excl. VAT) or approximately MYR 3,790.