1972 Junghans Olympic BullHead chronograph, manual winding cal. Valjoux 7734 – 688.10.

This Olympic model was issued in 1972 for the Olympic Games in Munich. Of course, the Olympics was a prestigious event for Germany, and many items were created for the upcoming games. Junghans, as a true German brand, dedicated an entire series to the Olympics comprising dress watches, chronographs, and sporty watches like this particular one.

The word bullhead is the term used for chronograph watches that have their crown and chronograph pushers on top of the case (in some cases the crown is at the bottom of the case) rather than on the side hence resembling the look of the head of a bull with its horns. These cases are usually larger and thicker than the average chronographs. Most of the time their cases are not even-shaped, meaning that the top of it where the pushers and the crown is located is wider and thicker and the bottom of the case is thinner. This way the dial is tilted towards 6 o’clock. This allows the wearer to check the time on the watch much more easily hence the oddity of the case. They are particularly special for no reason other than in most cases they were produced in relatively small numbers.

Junghans are not a youthful brand, by any means. They were founded in 1861 in Germany’s other watchmaking heartland located in the Black Forest. They once had one of the largest watch factories and were one of the biggest producers of chronometers in the world. Their mechanical watchmaking was halted in 1975, but they continued to be at the cutting-edge of quartz movement production, culminating in the release in 1990 of the worlds first radio-controlled watch, the Mega 1. Recent times have seen them return to traditional watchmaking.