Stowa Marine Original - advice
Discussion
Hi all!
I'm considering purchasing one of these; either the Arabic or Roman numeral version at 41mm width.
Is this watch value for money, or is there a better alternative out there? At €1280 it isn't cheap nor Rolex territory, but want some advice from people on here.
Also considering an IWC Portofino or Portuguese, but probably beyond my budget.
Thanks chaps!!
I'm considering purchasing one of these; either the Arabic or Roman numeral version at 41mm width.
Is this watch value for money, or is there a better alternative out there? At €1280 it isn't cheap nor Rolex territory, but want some advice from people on here.
Also considering an IWC Portofino or Portuguese, but probably beyond my budget.
Thanks chaps!!
Can't go wrong with Stowa, really - good company & watches, and you can be sure you're getting a quality watch and not being ripped-off.
In terms of 'value', that's subjective & depends upon what you want.
Like most things, the fall in Sterling's value against the Euro means they are more expensive for UK buyers than previously, but still represent cracking value for the money.
They have zero recognition amongst the general public, so if that's important to you, look elsewhere.
As there can be a waiting time for some of their watches - my Marine Automatic took four months to be delivered - buyers tend to have to really want them & therefore hold on to them. Because they are such good initial value, are sold in small numbers, and are popular on the 2nd hand market with buyers keen to avoid the long order times, they tend to hold their value quite well, depreciating a little less than is usual.
They have a 'proper' history too - been around since 1927, and from 1939 they've been making that exact type of Marine deck watch you're contemplating, and were also one of the five original makers of Fleiger B-Uhr pilot’s watches (alongside IWC, A. Lange & Söhne, Laco & Wempe). I always think that kind of provenance is a nice thing to have.
They just use bought-in ETA, Unitas, Soprod etc. movements in the main, but at least they’re honest about it, and don't just stick their name on a rotor and pretend it's an in-house movement. Plus, those movements are all solid, proven, robust, accurate, cheap to service & can be nicely decorated.
There's loads of watch companies that sell watches with those movements for a bit less, or for an awful lot more (hello, TAG Heuer & IWC...).
If you want the cachet of in-house movements, NOMOS offer some similar styles, but at quite a bit more in price.
They don't make their watches as such - they buy in a lot of their parts & assemble them - but they definitely do enough to make their watches feel that bit more special & individualised than most. Stowa cases are good quality & are hand-finished by them, and they also properly blue-colour their hands via labour-intensive heat treatment (not just cheap painting).
To further individualise their pieces, they also offer case & rotor engraving, hand-made silver rotors and solid silver or rhodium dials that really bounce with character. You can get something that's quite tailored to you.
Their in-demand watches are often made for you, to order, not just lifted off a shelf. That's pretty cool & adds a certain element of exclusivity - you won't see many of them around. I think they only have about 20 employees & make circa 5,000 watches per year.
Customer service is top-notch - they'll look after any problems you may have, and you'll get a nice German person keeping in touch with you throughout the whole process (maybe even the owner himself), and send a hand-written note & travel pouch with all purchases.
A lot to like.
In terms of 'value', that's subjective & depends upon what you want.
Like most things, the fall in Sterling's value against the Euro means they are more expensive for UK buyers than previously, but still represent cracking value for the money.
They have zero recognition amongst the general public, so if that's important to you, look elsewhere.
As there can be a waiting time for some of their watches - my Marine Automatic took four months to be delivered - buyers tend to have to really want them & therefore hold on to them. Because they are such good initial value, are sold in small numbers, and are popular on the 2nd hand market with buyers keen to avoid the long order times, they tend to hold their value quite well, depreciating a little less than is usual.
They have a 'proper' history too - been around since 1927, and from 1939 they've been making that exact type of Marine deck watch you're contemplating, and were also one of the five original makers of Fleiger B-Uhr pilot’s watches (alongside IWC, A. Lange & Söhne, Laco & Wempe). I always think that kind of provenance is a nice thing to have.
They just use bought-in ETA, Unitas, Soprod etc. movements in the main, but at least they’re honest about it, and don't just stick their name on a rotor and pretend it's an in-house movement. Plus, those movements are all solid, proven, robust, accurate, cheap to service & can be nicely decorated.
There's loads of watch companies that sell watches with those movements for a bit less, or for an awful lot more (hello, TAG Heuer & IWC...).
If you want the cachet of in-house movements, NOMOS offer some similar styles, but at quite a bit more in price.
They don't make their watches as such - they buy in a lot of their parts & assemble them - but they definitely do enough to make their watches feel that bit more special & individualised than most. Stowa cases are good quality & are hand-finished by them, and they also properly blue-colour their hands via labour-intensive heat treatment (not just cheap painting).
To further individualise their pieces, they also offer case & rotor engraving, hand-made silver rotors and solid silver or rhodium dials that really bounce with character. You can get something that's quite tailored to you.
Their in-demand watches are often made for you, to order, not just lifted off a shelf. That's pretty cool & adds a certain element of exclusivity - you won't see many of them around. I think they only have about 20 employees & make circa 5,000 watches per year.
Customer service is top-notch - they'll look after any problems you may have, and you'll get a nice German person keeping in touch with you throughout the whole process (maybe even the owner himself), and send a hand-written note & travel pouch with all purchases.
A lot to like.
Great advice, thank you all.
The appeal comes from them being that understated, relatively unknown German boutique. Rolex, TAG, Omega - they're two a penny where I am.
That the customer service will be exceptional is also a big positive.
Will purchase in due course and keep the forum updated.
Thanks for advice !!
The appeal comes from them being that understated, relatively unknown German boutique. Rolex, TAG, Omega - they're two a penny where I am.
That the customer service will be exceptional is also a big positive.
Will purchase in due course and keep the forum updated.
Thanks for advice !!
I've the polished cased, white dialed Arabic version as well as a Flieger, if you're going with the black dial then I'd choose the polished/Arabic for that as well.
Nomos has been mentioned if you'd like to look at something a step up in price, have a look at Archimede for a step back. The exchange rate has certainly played a part in Stowa's perceived value though £ for lb they're better than IWC (more to do with diminishing returns than anything else, not a slight on IWC), I picked up my M.O. pre-owned for around £650.
Nomos has been mentioned if you'd like to look at something a step up in price, have a look at Archimede for a step back. The exchange rate has certainly played a part in Stowa's perceived value though £ for lb they're better than IWC (more to do with diminishing returns than anything else, not a slight on IWC), I picked up my M.O. pre-owned for around £650.
thekingisdead said:
Re: heritage, are they not a new company that has bought an old brand!?
Not that it should bother you (it wouldn't me), but I don't think it's the same company that made the original fleigers.
That's a very common misconception. It is the same, continuous entity.Not that it should bother you (it wouldn't me), but I don't think it's the same company that made the original fleigers.
WAlter STOrz (you can see now where the Stowa name derives from), founded the company in 1927, and it survived take-over by the Nazi war machine, Allied bombing destruction & the 'Quartz Crisis'.
His son, Werner Storz, sold the company himself to the present-day owner, Jorg Schauer, in 1996, two years before Werner died. Schauer took over the company directly & with Werner's blessing, and an undertaking to carry-on business with a strong regard & respect to the Stowa traditions. Schauer is still the controlling owner, and involved in every area day-to-day, from dabbling in case finishing, to customer correspondence.
It's the same continuos entity, and they are mining their rich history in the same way as NOMOS are making Bauhaus models, Tudor doing their Heritage range, or Omega's re-issue of their Railmaster/Speedmaster/Seamaster heritage models.
There are very few watch companies in the World that have such a continuos lineage - A Lange & Sohne didn't exist at all for 42 years (not their fault at all) until Richemont wealth came along; the 1990 NOMOS bears absolutely nothing in common with the NOMOS that folded in 1911 & from which they borrowed their name, and in my opinion have no valid claim (despite their successful over-fondness for brandishing a big legal stick) to their most famous design. There's nothing particularly wrong with that - especially given what Germany went through in the 20th Century, and nor does it act as a guarantee of, or bar from, making quality watches, but it's good to give Stowa the credit of their lineage.
OP, I guarantee you if you buy a Stowa you'll quickly realise something is missing. That something is prestige. Stowa is close to the bottom in German brand hierarchy. So you'll buy a Stowa then you'll regret it then you'll sell it for 50% what you paid for it then you'll buy something better possibly another, this time slightly better s
tter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC.
So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
tter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC. So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
VGTICE said:
OP, I guarantee you if you buy a Stowa you'll quickly realise something is missing. That something is prestige. Stowa is close to the bottom in German brand hierarchy. So you'll buy a Stowa then you'll regret it then you'll sell it for 50% what you paid for it then you'll buy something better possibly another, this time slightly better stter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC.
So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
tter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC. So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
VGTICE said:
OP, I guarantee you if you buy a Stowa you'll quickly realise something is missing. That something is prestige. Stowa is close to the bottom in German brand hierarchy. So you'll buy a Stowa then you'll regret it then you'll sell it for 50% what you paid for it then you'll buy something better possibly another, this time slightly better stter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC.
So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
OP, I guarantee that the above advice is very true if you are more interested in prestige than watches.tter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC. So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
Paul Drawmer said:
VGTICE said:
OP, I guarantee you if you buy a Stowa you'll quickly realise something is missing. That something is prestige. Stowa is close to the bottom in German brand hierarchy. So you'll buy a Stowa then you'll regret it then you'll sell it for 50% what you paid for it then you'll buy something better possibly another, this time slightly better stter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC.
So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
OP, I guarantee that the above advice is very true if you are more interested in prestige than watches.tter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC. So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
Yes, indeed. Or, if you wish to cut out the middle man and all this tedious horology palaver altogether, then why not just sellotape your bank statement onto your wrist, slip on your red chinos and you're good to go? 
UnclePat said:
Paul Drawmer said:
VGTICE said:
OP, I guarantee you if you buy a Stowa you'll quickly realise something is missing. That something is prestige. Stowa is close to the bottom in German brand hierarchy. So you'll buy a Stowa then you'll regret it then you'll sell it for 50% what you paid for it then you'll buy something better possibly another, this time slightly better stter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC.
So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
OP, I guarantee that the above advice is very true if you are more interested in prestige than watches.tter, then you'll sell it then you'll decide you really want the best of the best without upsetting the wife (if you care) and you'll go for Omega. Then you might think - st Omega isn't really the best and you'll sell it (again losing money) and buy a Rolex. Now with Rolex you'll either love it or if you're loaded you'll consider it to not be the best. And then you'll sell it (not losing that much) and go for an AP/PP or maybe VC. So what I'm saying is forget Stowa, you can't afford it. If you can stretch get a Rolex, if you can't get an Omega (classic Seamaster will do nicely), or if you're a loaded snob (you wouldn't be looking at Stowa if you were, let's be honest) get something from the holly trinity.
Yes, indeed. Or, if you wish to cut out the middle man and all this tedious horology palaver altogether, then why not just sellotape your bank statement onto your wrist, slip on your red chinos and you're good to go? 
RevsPerMinute said:
...It gets way more positive comments compared to watches worth 10x the value.
Great 'photo that, and my MO gains more positive comments than my others regardless as to value.
What strap is that? I recently bought a light brown strap for mine though I wouldn't mind a darker shade as a slightly smarter option.
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