In many ways, the luxury watch industry is in the midst of a color revolution. Over the past few years, an explosion of vibrant dial hues, from verdant greens to bright summery yellows, has arrived to liven up the traditional lineup of black, white, silver, and blue. Meistersinger is no stranger to this phenomenon, and for its latest release, it brings a deep nuanced red hue to complement its minimal Neo line. The new Meistersinger Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection balances the brand’s simplest design with rich complex color for a deep and intriguing new look.

Meistersinger offers the stainless steel cases of the Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection in 36mm and 40mm sizes. Both models preserve the Bauhaus-inspired ultraminimal polished design of the Neo line, with short narrow lugs, a razor-thin polished bezel, and an undersized pillbox crown flanking an old-school domed acrylic crystal. It’s a light, elemental look in initial images, but a water resistance rating of only 30 meters may deter some enthusiasts.

The name “Bordeaux” conjures mental images of French vineyards and deep red wines, and the dials of the Meistersinger Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection play into that theme handsomely in initial images. Ranging from a deep blood red to an almost raspberry tone in initial images, this complex reddish hue is given even more depth thanks to a combination of dial finishes. The sunburst finish should give the relatively simple dial layout shifting visual highlights in changing light, while the degradé pattern pulls the dial down to black around the edge to reveal additional shades of red in images. Such a bold and intricate dial finish could easily prove overpowering, but the clean minimalism of the Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection’s dials leaves this color with enough room to breathe. The gauge-like single white needle hand and round 6 o’clock date window are both shared between the two models, but the pair diverges slightly for the printed hours scale. Both models feature the crisp, functional printed outer scale in white with hash marks at every five minutes, as well as light, balanced printed Arabic numerals. However, the 36mm model deletes the 6 o’clock numerals in favor of a longer printed line index, while the 40mm model maintains the numeral scale for all 12 hours.

Both models in the Meistersinger Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection use the Sellita SW 200 automatic movement. The SW 200 is a long-running staple of the watch industry and a shared powerplant across many of Meistersinger’s offerings. Meistersinger sets these movements apart from run-of-the-mill SW 200s by deleting the minutes and seconds hands, but performance remains standard and slightly underwhelming by modern standards with a 38-hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate. Meistersinger finishes both versions of the Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection with a classic black leather strap with matching full stitching.

By adding a rich, complex dial color, the new Meistersinger Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection brings a handsome new depth and nuance to the brand’s most minimal series. The Meistersinger Neo Bordeaux Degradé collection is available now through authorized dealers at a starting MSRP of €1,090. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.