# Junghans Mega 1



## Agent orange (Feb 11, 2006)

Just bought a Junghans Mega 1 off the bay (I was bored and it was cheap ). Looks to be in OK condition (small pics so hard to be absolutely sure) and comes complete with box and papers.

Anyone got any pics or reading to keep me going until it arrives? I notice that they seemed to come in various colours and finishes, I think mine is silver with a shiny finish. Fingers crossed it won't be too scratched.

I see that the arial is in the strap, anyone know if they break over time given its flexible nature? You can still buy them on the bay but they're not cheap, could be worth buying a spare while they're still available though, any thoughts?

Cheers,

Gary


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## minkle (Mar 17, 2008)

Hmm, im sure one popped up on here not too long ago, somebody has one.. :search:


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## Agent orange (Feb 11, 2006)

minkle said:


> Hmm, im sure one popped up on here not too long ago, somebody has one.. :search:


Hi Mike, that's what I though too, could be we're both going senile though :to_become_senile:. I tried a search but only the modern Mega 1000 came up.

Cheers,

Gary


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## mjolnir (Jan 3, 2006)

I'm pretty sure Livius had one.

Yep here it is

Might be worth sending him a PM.


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## Agent orange (Feb 11, 2006)

Thanks Rob :thumbsup: and what a lovely looking example that is too :drool:

Cheers,

Gary


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## Livius de Balzac (Oct 6, 2006)

Hello!

Junghans Mega1 was the first radiocontrolled wristwatch and it was made from late 80's to mid 90's. Junghans made six different models of the Mega1, two in stainless steel, flat crystal with black or silver dial and four with ceramic case and "curved" crystal, grey with black dial, silver with black or silver dial and blue with blue dial.

The Mega1 was designed by Frog Design.


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## Agent orange (Feb 11, 2006)

Hi Livius and thanks for the information, I think mine is a steel version with a white dial. Heard from the seller who's posted it today so fingers crossed I should have it by the weekend, it's coming from Germany.

Love the ceramic model you have there, looks brand new too. I doubt mine will be in that kind of condition.

A few questions for you

1. How long do the batteries last roughly?

2. Do the straps last well?

3. Are they comfortable to wear?

Cheers,

Gary


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## Livius de Balzac (Oct 6, 2006)

Agent orange said:


> Hi Livius and thanks for the information, I think mine is a steel version with a white dial. Heard from the seller who's posted it today so fingers crossed I should have it by the weekend, it's coming from Germany.
> 
> Love the ceramic model you have there, looks brand new too. I doubt mine will be in that kind of condition.
> 
> ...


The battery last for two-tree years if you only use the automatic synchronization.

If you not use the watch for a time, you can set it in a "sleep mode", the watch is then turned off and the display only show an "S", and save the battery. The battery is a CR2025 Lithium.

I bought the Mega1 in 1992, used it everyday for about 6 years, got bored with digital watches, put it away and forgot about it. Four years ago I started to use it again and bought a new strap.

The Junghans strap is of a very high quality, 22 mm wide, a bit stiff because of the antenna, but comfortable to wear.


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## Jack G (Apr 7, 2008)

Hello Gary,

I first came across the Junghans Mega 1 in 1998 when I started collecting Braun's LCD watches - the DW20 & DW30. Introduced in 1990 it was the world's first radio controlled watch and guaranteed to be accurate to within 1 second in a million years - do you get your money back if that's not true?

By 1998 it had been discontinued and as only a few watches were imported into the UK plus eb*y was in its infancy finding one wasn't easy. Later in 1998 whilst on a business trip to Germany I took the opportunity to visit quite a few Junghans stockists hoping one of them would still have one in stock. But they all had the same story- although it was still listed in the current Junghans catalogue they were unavailable.

On my last day I mentioned my search during an evening meal out and showed my German host the catalogue. He casually said that on our way to the airport the following morning we could take a short detour and call in at the Junghans factory. When he picked me up the next morning he had already phoned the factory to be advised that it was unlikely that they would still have one and in any case did not sell single watches to the public!

My friend rose to the challenge and drove us straight to the factory. He was very persuasive and after what seemed like a long, long time, bearing in mind I had a plane to catch, they found one and it was mine for the last retail price of Â£136. My luck continued as my flight was delayed - buying another ticket would have made it a very expensive watch.

Over the next couple of years I managed to buy the other four colour options as NOS so ended up with the full set. They are now all sold except for a very tatty but working one bought in a Berlin fleamarket in 2001 for about Â£4. It works just great and is perfect for timing very late bids on e*ay - well it is guranteed accurate to within 1 second in a million years!

I did a fair bit of research along the way so here goes.

Six versions were illustrated in the catalogue but only five were actually put into production. The caseback has the unique ref no. for each version engraved on the outside.

Each version had a slightly different crystal, strap and clasp. Each strap and clasp had its own unique ref. no.

They were all finished as colour coating over metal - I have never seen a ceramic version.

The strap was available as regular length or short length as you could not just punch an extra hole through the integral aerial to make the strap shorter.

The smaller your wrist the more tension was exerted on the strap/aerial connection to the case. The strap was very robust and would probably last a very long time with normal use.

The module just sat inside the case with no retaining screws - this made replacing faulty modules very easy. Changing the strap required a small screw driver and a standard spring bar remover and was quite easy.

If you want the ref nos. for the straps or clasps I may still have an old brochure which gives these - let me know.

The five models are as follows:

026/0010.00 - chromium plated (matt silver)

026/0011.00 - bright titanium (looks like polished chrome)

026.0012.00 - matt titanium (looks like stainless steel)

026.0013.00 - matt anthracite (black)

026.0014.00 - dark blue

From your description I believe yours is 026/0011.00 and I have a spare case back for this should you need one.

When taking the back off protect the case adjacent to the point where the screw driver goes to save damaging the case finish!!!!

The instruction book has an English section so all will be revealed. I can confirm a previous posting that the batteries last a long time but as I never wore any of them don't know how comfortable they are.

I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your watch when it arrives.

Regards, Jack


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## Livius de Balzac (Oct 6, 2006)

Hello again!

Thank You for more information.

When I bought the Mega in 1992, the watchmaker had two models, one he told me had stainless steel case and the other had a steel case covered in a scratchproof ceramic material. The "ceramic" model was 25% more expencive.

if it's not ceramic, what is it? Some kind of PVD plating/covering?


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## Jack G (Apr 7, 2008)

Hello Livius,

My matt silver watch has a lot of the coating chipped off and it can be seen that it is a brass case with a coating. I believe that all the five versions are coated brass cases. As you say PVD for the blue and black and matt or polished chrome for the others.

You mentioned six versions and the 1998 Junghans catalogue did show six versions but I have a fax from the Junghans factory which states "The grey model illustrated on page 140 of the 1998 catalogue was never produced".

I have seen black and blue versions which have been badly worn so I do not think they had a ceramic coating - but I might be wrong!!!

It does not matter if the cases are ceramic or PVD coated the black and blue versions are really nice watches and you have obviously enjoyed yours for many years regardless.

I have always tried to find out all I can about the more unusual watches I collect - look out for my new Braun LCD watch site - coming soon.

Regards, Jack

Regards, Jack


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## Agent orange (Feb 11, 2006)

Thanks for all the info Jack and Livius, much appreciated as always :thumbup:. Can't wait for mine to arrive now, just hope it's not too scratched especially if it's a chromed case.

Cheers,

Gary


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## Jack G (Apr 7, 2008)

Jack G said:


> They were all finished as colour coating over metal - I have never seen a ceramic version.


My matt silver version and spare case back for the polished chrome version are both marked *"BASE METAL BEZEL STAINLESS STEEL BACK".*


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