Stowa: Modern Flieger and Analog Smartwatch

[FuzzyB]

Stowa just announced two new additions to their lineup.

The first is an analog smartwatch called the Schauer Analog Reminder. The watch has few common events on a rotating disc that you position at 6 o'clock and rotate the bezel to indicate the time you want to remind yourself of the event. A white, luminous disc underneath the disc provides a visual reminder when the time is reached.











The second new release is a modern interpretation of a flieger designed by Hartmut Esslinger.



Stowa is also releasing a book covering Stowa history.

[FuzzyB]

My take on the new releases. The Analog Reminder is an odd watch. However, if they release it without the reminder feature, I'd be all over it. The hands and bezel are nice looking, and the Schauer bezel translates nicely to a dive watch.

The retro-futuristic flieger also has some cool elements, but I'm not sure well it works as a whole. The bezel is fantastic and has a great bomb-timer vibe going on. The crown matches the bezel well. I'm not so sure about the 12 o'clock marker on the dial and the hands. I'll have to let this one simmer a little before giving final judgment.

[Henry Krinkle]

I concur completely about the Reminder. Lose the reminder feature and I want one.

[meijlinder]

Think the Reminder is a very innovative way to put some "smart" features into a mechanical watch. Not sure I'd find them that useful tbh, but as a re-interpretation of an alarm watch it's not bad. Could've needed something more than just the text lighting up though, seems it would be quite easy to miss under a shirt-cuff.

Not sold on the fileger. First impressions: Not sure on the hands and not a fan of the round date window. Bezel is great though.

[tribe125]

I'm delighted to see original design from Stowa but I'm not really tempted by these.

[FuzzyB]

I'm delighted to see original design from Stowa but I'm not really tempted by these.

These releases seem to be an attempt to redefine Stowa, or at the least point the brand in the direction Jörg would like to take the brand.

The retro-future Flieger seems like an obvious step, at least in theory if not execution, by using one of their core models and applying a modern interpretation to it.

Looking at the Rana and the new Flieger, there is certainly a design aesthetic that is pushing through.

With a little tweaking, I could see both of these models working well, but they just seem to fall short.

[Henry Krinkle]

I am somewhat compelled by the Rana. Every time I go to the Stowa site I need to have a look.

I commend Jorg for his efforts. I think we are starting to see his ethic coming through. If it works for him on any level I do not see Schauer watches ever standing on it's own again. The two brands are moving towards each other.

I am going to suggest the change started earlier though. It is much more subtle than the current models. A blog had to point it out to me. I found an old article one day where the writer referred in a complimentary way to the 1938 Chronograph as a "poor man's Schauer". I see that.

[FuzzyB]

I would love to see the Rana in person. I have a strong feeling that it is much more impressive in person than it is in photos.

The 1938 chronograph was a big step for Stowa because it was one of the first models that wasn't based almost entirely on a historic model. And the dial is certainly a big step up from the other Stowa offerings. I believe it is also a step up from many of the Schauer offerings as well.

[FuzzyB]

Apparently there is at least one more new release coming from Stowa: a blue Marine Original Limited Edition.