I
Ilya Ryvin
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When I think Stowa, my mind immediately jumps to the Flieger. It is undoubtedly the watch that Stowa is best known for, and under the helm of Jorge Schauer the famed German firm has done consistently well with its many takes on this style. In the last couple of years, Stowa has slowly made some additions to its cataloge, introducing watches like the TO1 TESTAF, TO2, and the Flieger GMT with the intention of contemporizing both the aesthetics and functionality of the flieger lines.
This past summer Stowa quietly unveiled a new flieger collection dubbed the Flieger Klassik Sport. Where watches like the TO2 and TO1 marked a radical design departure for the brand, the Klassik Flieger Sport brought things back to basics. By keeping the overall look of the classic flieger, and pairing it with a more robust and sportier case, Stowa created a watch many of us have been waiting for. Today, we go hands-on with a watch from my personal collection—the Flieger Klassik Sport A-dial without date and logo. Let’s take a closer look.
Stowa Flieger Klassik Sport Review
Case: 316L Brushed Stainless Steel
Movement: Top-Grade ETA 2824 with Custom Rotor
Dial: Black
Lume: C3 Super Lumi-Nova
Lens: Domed Sapphire w/AR
Strap: Natural Rubber with Deployant Clasp
Water Resistance: 200 meters
Dimensions: 43x51mm
Thickness: 12.8mm
Lug Width: 24mm
Crown: Screw-down
Warranty: Yes Price: €1270 ($1396.48), or €1067.23 ($1173.52) without VAT.
Dial and Case
The dial and handset of the Flieger Klassik Sport are lifted straight from the classic series. In keeping with that, Stowa still offers a sterile dial (with or without date), a logo dial (also with or without date), a B-dial, and a grey Ikarus dial. As we’ve come to expect from the brand, the hours and minutes hands are temperature-blued steel. Because thermally treated hands are much harder and more expensive to produce than hands that are simply painted or chemically colored, they’re usually reserved for higher-end watches. The payoff, however, is that temperature-blued hands are far more interesting visually, and inimitable in terms of both color and luster. Under certain lights they look black, that is until they catch the light and turn a saturated blue.
The dial is a gorgeous matte black with excellent printing and generously applied C3 Super Lumi-Nova that gives the markers an almost 3-D quality. It’s a simple dial, for sure, but I would argue that simple dials are even harder to pull off because there is absolutely no room for error. The execution here is flawless.
Now, let’s get to the case. It comes in at a width of 43mm, a height of 12.8mm, a lug-to-lug size of 51mm, and a lug width of a whopping 24mm. I know a number of you already thinking, “this thing is a dinner plate!” And believe me, as a card-carrying member of the smaller-watches-are-better club, I completely understand the sentiment. With that said, trust me when I say that this is not an oversized watch. Yes, there is certainly some added wrist presence, but it doesn’t wear like 43mm watch. But more on this later.
One of the first things I noticed when the watch was announced was the general height and thickness of the bezel. I initially though it looked too big and unrefined, and rather out of proportion with the diameter of the dial. Fortunately, this is a perception exacerbated by flatly lit product photography which only gives the bezel the appearance of being thicker than it truly is. In the metal, the bezel has a steep slope, which ultimately helps break it up visually. In profile, the bezel only looks large when the watch is off the wrist; when worn it looks perfectly balanced. Aesthetics aside, the added height of the bezel actually serves a functional purpose. It accommodates the extra thick domed sapphire crystal sitting atop of the case, which allows for significantly better water and pressure resistance. The crystal also has an excellent antireflective coating, one that is much better than what I’ve seen from the classic series.
The stainless steel case is actually made up of two parts: the combined mid case and bezel, and the screw down case back. Overall, the case finishing is excellent, with brushing that is both fine and precise. It is essentially the same case as the one on the TO2, with the only discernible difference being the crown. The TO2 features a push-pull diamond crown capable of 200 meters of water-resistance. The Klassik Sport replaced it with a much simpler screw-down assembly, roughly 7mm in diameter and also rated to 200m. There is a somewhat noticeable gap between the case and the crown when screwed in, but it will not effect water resistance as all the O-rings are fully engaged.
My only significant issue with the case is the logo engraving on the crown. As you can see from the photos, the etching looks a bit crooked and unfinished. It’s certainly a minor fault, but it’s also not something I’ve come to expect from Stowa. Given that my watch is a very early serial, I would be curious to see if more recent production runs have since rectified the issue. Nevertheless, the logo has not diminished my enjoyment of this watch in the slightest, but I imagine it might if you’re less forgiving.
The post Stowa Flieger Klassik Sport Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.
When I think Stowa, my mind immediately jumps to the Flieger. It is undoubtedly the watch that Stowa is best known for, and under the helm of Jorge Schauer the famed German firm has done consistently well with its many takes on this style. In the last couple of years, Stowa has slowly made some additions to its cataloge, introducing watches like the TO1 TESTAF, TO2, and the Flieger GMT with the intention of contemporizing both the aesthetics and functionality of the flieger lines.
This past summer Stowa quietly unveiled a new flieger collection dubbed the Flieger Klassik Sport. Where watches like the TO2 and TO1 marked a radical design departure for the brand, the Klassik Flieger Sport brought things back to basics. By keeping the overall look of the classic flieger, and pairing it with a more robust and sportier case, Stowa created a watch many of us have been waiting for. Today, we go hands-on with a watch from my personal collection—the Flieger Klassik Sport A-dial without date and logo. Let’s take a closer look.
Stowa Flieger Klassik Sport Review
Case: 316L Brushed Stainless SteelMovement: Top-Grade ETA 2824 with Custom Rotor
Dial: Black
Lume: C3 Super Lumi-Nova
Lens: Domed Sapphire w/AR
Strap: Natural Rubber with Deployant Clasp
Water Resistance: 200 meters
Dimensions: 43x51mm
Thickness: 12.8mm
Lug Width: 24mm
Crown: Screw-down
Warranty: Yes Price: €1270 ($1396.48), or €1067.23 ($1173.52) without VAT.
Dial and Case
The dial and handset of the Flieger Klassik Sport are lifted straight from the classic series. In keeping with that, Stowa still offers a sterile dial (with or without date), a logo dial (also with or without date), a B-dial, and a grey Ikarus dial. As we’ve come to expect from the brand, the hours and minutes hands are temperature-blued steel. Because thermally treated hands are much harder and more expensive to produce than hands that are simply painted or chemically colored, they’re usually reserved for higher-end watches. The payoff, however, is that temperature-blued hands are far more interesting visually, and inimitable in terms of both color and luster. Under certain lights they look black, that is until they catch the light and turn a saturated blue.
The dial is a gorgeous matte black with excellent printing and generously applied C3 Super Lumi-Nova that gives the markers an almost 3-D quality. It’s a simple dial, for sure, but I would argue that simple dials are even harder to pull off because there is absolutely no room for error. The execution here is flawless.
Now, let’s get to the case. It comes in at a width of 43mm, a height of 12.8mm, a lug-to-lug size of 51mm, and a lug width of a whopping 24mm. I know a number of you already thinking, “this thing is a dinner plate!” And believe me, as a card-carrying member of the smaller-watches-are-better club, I completely understand the sentiment. With that said, trust me when I say that this is not an oversized watch. Yes, there is certainly some added wrist presence, but it doesn’t wear like 43mm watch. But more on this later.
One of the first things I noticed when the watch was announced was the general height and thickness of the bezel. I initially though it looked too big and unrefined, and rather out of proportion with the diameter of the dial. Fortunately, this is a perception exacerbated by flatly lit product photography which only gives the bezel the appearance of being thicker than it truly is. In the metal, the bezel has a steep slope, which ultimately helps break it up visually. In profile, the bezel only looks large when the watch is off the wrist; when worn it looks perfectly balanced. Aesthetics aside, the added height of the bezel actually serves a functional purpose. It accommodates the extra thick domed sapphire crystal sitting atop of the case, which allows for significantly better water and pressure resistance. The crystal also has an excellent antireflective coating, one that is much better than what I’ve seen from the classic series.
The stainless steel case is actually made up of two parts: the combined mid case and bezel, and the screw down case back. Overall, the case finishing is excellent, with brushing that is both fine and precise. It is essentially the same case as the one on the TO2, with the only discernible difference being the crown. The TO2 features a push-pull diamond crown capable of 200 meters of water-resistance. The Klassik Sport replaced it with a much simpler screw-down assembly, roughly 7mm in diameter and also rated to 200m. There is a somewhat noticeable gap between the case and the crown when screwed in, but it will not effect water resistance as all the O-rings are fully engaged.
My only significant issue with the case is the logo engraving on the crown. As you can see from the photos, the etching looks a bit crooked and unfinished. It’s certainly a minor fault, but it’s also not something I’ve come to expect from Stowa. Given that my watch is a very early serial, I would be curious to see if more recent production runs have since rectified the issue. Nevertheless, the logo has not diminished my enjoyment of this watch in the slightest, but I imagine it might if you’re less forgiving.
The post Stowa Flieger Klassik Sport Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.