Stowa Marine Original : The Affordable German Watch
STOWA Brand:
If you are new to the world of watches, chances are you have never heard of STOWA. You’ve surely heard of brands such as Rolex, Seiko, Tag Heuer, and Omega due to their prevalence in various facets (movies, pop-culture, songs, racing events, etc.…). While these brands comprise a larger market share thanks to their popularity, many of these brands are hard pressed to offer a watch as cost conscious as STOWA. Thanks to their direct to consumer sales model, STOWA is able to provide quality timepieces for a relatively affordable price in relation to other watches of their caliber.
STOWA was founded in 1927 by Walter Storz in Hornber, Black Forest. The brand has created numerous iconic timepieces throughout the years that played an integral role in military, aviation, and marine applications. From their early days of manufacturing timepieces for the military in 1938, all the way to the development of their current company building and movement museum, the brand has consistently stood the test of time. STOWA has innovated in the watch space and evolved as a company throughout the years, changing locations various times through it’s setbacks and growth phases, ultimately landing in their current location in Engelsbrand, Germany.
Though the STOWA brand passed ownership in 1996 to Jorg Schauer, they have various models in their current lineup, most of which pay homage to the classics in a modern way.
The Marine (Observer) Watch:
One of the most iconic offerings from STOWA is the Marine, dating all the way back to its conception in 1939. The Marine watch was originally designed as a Marine observation watch, a timepiece that would give boat captains precise time to properly navigate the longitudinal coordinates of their fleet. Aside from being able to accurately tell time, the additional requirements often included a luminous dial and bold legible indices for quick reference. STOWA’s original release of their Marine observation watch was limited to an underwhelming 288 pcs, specially made as a tool watch, making a true original very rare.
The Marine lineup of today has naturally expanded well beyond the original clock design of 1939, having a wide array of automatic and manual time pieces that incorporate various complications and design attributes. All watches in the Marine lineup are time only, varying between having seconds on center or seconds in a small sub-dial. While this comprises most of the lineup, there is a stand alone chronograph offering that shares the same design language as the rest of the models, but with the additional chronograph complication intertwined.
With all these offerings in the current Marine lineup, there is one in particular that stands out and that is the Marine original.
STOWA Marine Original:
This watch stands out from it’s counterparts thanks to it’s manual wind movement that is fully consuming and visible through the back of the 41mm display back case. This piece is offered in both an Arabic and a Roman numeral option for a base price of around $1750.
Specifications:
Case Diameter/Height: 41mm/12mm
Case Material: Polished Stainless Steel
Water Resistance: 5 ATM
Weight: 77 g.
Dial Material: White High Polish or Solid Silver 925/000
Hands Material: Temperature Blued Steel
Movement: Manual Wind Unitas 6598-1
Power Reserve: 52 Hours
Frequency: 18800 Vph
Features: Hours and minutes on center, small seconds in 6 O’clock sub-dial, screw Balance, Swan neck regulator, screwed display back case.
Watch Types:
Design/Options:
Much of the design language that is shown in the current Marine watches is synonymous to the design of the original marine observation clocks. Many of the marine chronometers of the time were inherently in pocket watch form or set in a gimbal box to improve watch accuracy when navigating the wavy seas. Below are some examples of early marine observation watches; as we step through the design of STOWA’s current Marine Original you will notice the striking similarities, especially to that of the original STOWA Marine observation watch.
Case:
While the current Marine series watches have moved beyond the “pocket watch” and into a wrist watch form, much of the design shines through. Similar to it’s heritage, the Marine Original features a beautifully polished 41mm stainless steel case. Thickness sits at a reasonable 12mm and the lug to lug distance is at 50.2mm making the piece very wearable, especially with the slightly contoured strap horns. While this case is filled to the brim with the Unitas 6598-1 movement inside, it comes in at a very light 77 grams.
Dial:
The layout of the dial is simplistic, featuring hours and minutes on center with a small seconds sub-dial at 6 O’clock, paying homage to the original STOWA observation clock. A chapter ring is visible on both the perimeter of the dial and the perimeter of the small seconds sub-dial, allowing quick reference of the temperature blued hands. The STOWA Marine utilizes a strikingly white dial to contrast the bold Roman/Arabic numeral indices, creating remarkable contrast and high legibility of the simplistic layout. While the painted white version offers the most contrast to the black lettering, the alternate silver dial version has a bit more of a dull appearance, almost a crème white. While some contrast may be lost, the silver version is refreshing, presenting different dial appearance depending on the light approach. Naturally this is considered a premium option and comes with a small price increase of $150 from the base price.
Painted White
Silver 925/000 (+$150)
Hands:
The hands are traditional to marine clocks, utilizing the spade shaped hour, minute, and seconds hands. However, the hands on the STOWA Marine Original come with a rather unique twist; they are made out of blue temperature colored steel. What this means is rather than coloring the hands by traditional methods such as painting, lacquering, plating, etc… the steel hands are “blued” by brining the steel up to a specified temperature and precisely controlling the cooling rate to produce the desired temperature discoloration of the metal. This is an extremely detailed process and one that has to be consistent to repeatedly provide the desired color shade.
There is a great article that goes into more detail on this process below:
https://wornandwound.com/bluing-process-thermally-treating-screws/
Movement/Case Back:
The case back is without a doubt the best part about this timepiece thanks to the display back case. The movement used in this piece is the Manual Wind Unitas 6598-1 which is 36.6mm in diameter allowing it to nearly fill the 41mm case of the watch. This paired with the low profile edge of the case back allows for a lot of visible real estate that can be seen through the sapphire crystal backing. As you look into the movement you are met with an overwhelming amount of detail, from the temperature “blued” screws to the perlage finishing on the bridges and the ruby jewels to the brass gears visible near the balance wheel. Thanks to being a manual wind, all of this detail is visible as no rotor is present to hide any part of the movement.
With regards to the Unitas 6598-1, it is a Swiss based movement from the iconic movement company ETA. The manual wind movement operates at 18,800 Vph, making it a fairly low beat movement capable of holding a 52 hour power reserve. This movement features 17 jewels in the movement and utilizes the ETACHRON system which acts as a adjustable regulator for the hairspring, effectively allowing fine adjustment of the watch timing.
Straps:
The standard bracelet on the Marine Original is a black leather strap offered with a classic tang style matte finished buckle. An alternate option to the standard black leather strap is the black crocodile strap, offered at a $100 premium on top of the base watch price. The crocodile strap also comes with the classic tang style matte finished buckle and is considered the premium dress oriented option for the piece.
Black Leather Strap (Standard)
Crocodile Strap (+$100)
All in all the Marine Original is a rebirth of the iconic STOWA Marine observation clock. The brands value proposition of utilizing direct to consumer sales has fortified it as a difficult to beat watch in regards to value for the quality offered. Let us know what you think of STOWA in the comments. Have you owned a STOWA? Do you prefer other watches from STOWA’s current lineup?
References:
http://www.change-climate.com/Heroes/Harrison_John_Clock_Marine_Chronometer_Board_Longitude.htm
https://watchesbysjx.com/2020/08/marine-chronometer-barraud-weight-middle-temperature-error.html