The ships were based on the previous aviso, SMS Greif, which had proved to be an unsuccessful design due to its lack of torpedo armament.

As a result, the Wacht-class ships were equipped with three torpedo tubes to improve their combat power; they were also the first German avisos to carry armor protection.

The German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) had begun building modern, steel-hulled avisos in the 1880s to serve as fleet scouts and to lead flotillas of torpedo boats; the first of these were the two Blitz-class ships.

After General Leo von Caprivi replaced Albrecht von Stosch as the chief of the Kaiserliche Admiralität (Imperial Admiralty) in 1883, the navy began to take a turn toward the Jeune École doctrine, embracing the concept of using small, cheap torpedo boats to defend the country's coast instead of expensive ironclad warships.

The class did introduce some improvements over previous designs, however, including an armor deck and protection for the conning tower, along with electric lighting for the ships.

[3][4] Their propulsion system consisted of two angled 3-cylinder triple expansion engines that each drove a 3.3 m (11 ft) wide three-bladed screw.

Wacht and Jagd also carried three 35 cm (13.8 in) torpedo tubes, one mounted submerged in the bow and the other two in deck-mounted launchers on the broadside.

Both ships also took part in the peacetime routine of training exercises that culminated in major fleet maneuvers every August and September.

Jagd was the first vessel to pass through the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal in March 1895 before the waterway officially opened in June; her passage was a test of the lock system to ensure that it worked properly.

In early 1901, Jagd went to Britain as part of the fleet that represented Germany at the funeral of Queen Victoria, but by 11 August, a survey of the ship had determined that she was in poor condition, and so she was removed from service.

Sachsen's ram bow badly damaged Wacht below the waterline, causing her to rapidly sink, though her entire crew was safely evacuated.