Steinhart vs Stowa

[rich85uk]

Morning all

Im very new to the watch world (had cheap ones as a kid, then mobile phones came about) but got my first 'proper' watch for christmas (Tissot PRC 200) which i love and is being used as a daily wearer, but i really fancy a dress type watch with leather strap

After some surfing on here i checked out Stowa, and fell in love with there marine range which looking even better on a croc strap! then i saw the Steinhart marine range which to be honest look very nearly just as nice but for half the price

Steinhart:
http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/MARINE-CHRONOMET...

Stowa:
http://www.stowa.de/lshop,showdetail,1329564335253...

I have had a quick browse on google (search function on here is down) and cant find any direct comparison between there models in terms of quality etc, it all seems to be opinions from people who havent handled both and most say they would go with Stowa purely because they have history.

While that is nice, i dont really want to pay double just because the Stowa has history if the Steinhart is just as good

will be greatful for any input

[Chicane-UK]

From what I've read on a few forums Steinhart seem to take a bit of heat amongst the more well off enthusiasts because of their Rolex style homage watches (which are a bit blatant / shameless)... but I think the folks that buy them love the quality of them. They're about as good as you'll get for the money especially with a decent ETA automatic movement.

[DKL]

I've not seen Steinhart although that link does look a nice watch.
I have a Stowa MA and its great. Quite a large piece but very clean, easy to read and well put togther. You won't be disappointed of you go this route.

[tertius]

I have owned both a Stowa and a Steinhart, in terms of quality it is Stowa every time - which to be honest you would expect, like for like models are at least twice the price.

FYI you are comparing the Steinhart Marine HW (with Unitas movement) to the Stowa Auto (with ETA) which is not really an apples-apples comparison, the equivalent Stowa with the Unitas mvt is more like 8-900 Euros (can't remember exactly and too lazy to check).

[rich85uk]

^^^
So the Steinhart has the better movement? (sorry very new to watches)

they do a premium line, but its in direct comparison for price with the Stowa...
http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/Marine-Chronomet...

thanks for the input so far, watches are an expensive thing to like!

[tertius]

rich85uk said:

^^^
So the Steinhart has the better movement? (sorry very new to watches)

they do a premium line, but its in direct comparison for price with the Stowa...
http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/Marine-Chronomet...

thanks for the input so far, watches are an expensive thing to like!

Well it is a different movement, and almost certainly more expensive. I personally prefer the handwind Unitas in a marine Chronometer as I feel it is more in keeping with the style of watch.

However, like many movements the Unitas comes in different grades - the one in the "basic" Steinhart Marine Chrono is definitely a lower grade movement; the one in the Stowa Marine Original and in the Premium Steinhart is a higher grade - an easy way to tell is the swan neck regulator in the more expensive version.

My personal choice would be the Stowa Marine Original in polished case with roman numerals. If you can't run to the cost of that then I'd save up for it ... Or buy used.

[Ice27]

I think you're going to get a variety of opinions which will only confuse you more.

I have not owned or seen a Stowa.
However, I do have 2 Steinharts alongside my Omegas and Rolex and I would say they are excellent quality and value for money. They use ETA movements which are found in other 'top brand' watches such as TAG Heuer.

I'm sure you would be happy with a Steinhart or two...

[James_N]

tertius said:

My personal choice would be the Stowa Marine Original in polished case with roman numerals. If you can't run to the cost of that then I'd save up for it ... Or buy used.

This is exactly what is on my wrist now. Ive never owned a Steinhart, but I have owned the Stowa since November 2009, worn it more or less every day, and its been fantastic, apart from the one time it suddenly stopped working and I did not know why.

However, Stowa's customer service was truely fantastic. Their response to emails in perfect English was very quick (10-15 mins reponse during office hours!), they paid all my shipping costs, and always kept me updated with things.

The quality of the watch is great. When I bought this watch, it was a large sum of money to me, to spend on a watch, and I was a little nervous, given that you can't go to a shop to see any Stowa's, but fear not. The quality and customer service is second to none. I was very impressed, and pleased I put my money with Stowa.

[benny.c]

tertius said:

I have owned both a Stowa and a Steinhart, in terms of quality it is Stowa every time - which to be honest you would expect, like for like models are at least twice the price.

Ditto, I've owned both. Stowa all the way.

Edited by benny.c on Saturday 18th February 23:44

[jgtv]

I have a Stowa Marine auto with the mid brown croc strap, mine is a little under a year old, picked up earlier this year on the TZ forum, very happy with it, and did not pay anywhere near the 800 Euro price so even happier.

[Phil.]

benny.c said:

tertius said:

I have owned both a Stowa and a Steinhart, in terms of quality it is Stowa every time - which to be honest you would expect, like for like models are at least twice the price.

Ditto, I've owned both. Stowa all the way.

Edited by benny.c on Saturday 18th February 23:44

I own both and enjoy them each equally for different reasons. I think it depends on which model you choose, some of the Stowa are better and visa versa so are some of the Steinhart.

[hilly10]

My Stowa diver was a very well made solid piece of kit

[rich85uk]

thanks for the input guys, seem to be sold on the Stowa out of the 2 links but now i like some of Steinharts other models...

oh liking watches is a slippery slope, if only i was like my brother who is happy with his £20 classic square casio

[Stuart]

Until my MO went to a new home today I was the owner of both. Personally I'd place Stowa above Steinhart in the quality stakes, but that's not to deride Steinhart in any way - my diver is a really well made and solid piece which I can't fault. For me the difference is simply that Stowa have original models of their own (albeit that neither the Marine timer or the Flieger are styles unique to Stowa). As others have said, Steinhart are, to me at least, producers of very well made homage watches.

[pj77]

I was in a similar position to the original poster, and went for the Stowa MO. One of the reasons are my relatively skinny wrists: the Stowa is 42mm whereas the Steinhart is 44m. Small difference maybe, but it was a concern.

On top of that, I used the same reasons as some other people have pointed out to go for Stowa: great quality, brand name, history, customer service, raving reviews from all owners you can find online, ...

I have my Stowa for a couple of weeks now and couldn't be happier. Yes, it's a pretty significant sum of money (I paid €914 incl. shipping) but it looks like this will be a watch I wear daily for a lot of years to come. And if I ever decide to flip it, resale value of used Stowas seems very strong.

[Stuart]

I just moved mine on for £500. I didn't need to advertise it, but I think I paid around €700 for it three years ago, so I'm pretty happy with that as a result...

[LondonGlen]

Bought a Steinhart Ocean 1 a year ago for £300 direct from manufacturer, very happy with it as daily watch. It is a Rolex homage of course but looks and feels great on wrist.

[rich85uk]

sod all on ebay for either brand, i guess both arent that common in the uk?(i saw lots on tissot prc 200 models last time i looked)

[tertius]

rich85uk said:

sod all on ebay for either brand, i guess both arent that common in the uk?(i saw lots on tissot prc 200 models last time i looked)

Volumes are so small, that they will be vey unlikely to turn up.

Your best bet is TZ-UK, both turn up there from time to time. I do have half an eye out for another MO, though what I really want is a Dornblueth. However, a third car has put that idea back for a bit ...