The Return of Schauer?

[FuzzyB]

It's also important to remember that the Rana was a collaboration with Hartmut Esslinger, rather than a pure Schauer design. For that reason it probably sits better under the Stowa brand.

My conversation with Jorg started with me saying that had the Walter Storz Stowa remained competitive, it would presumably now be making contemporary watches with some reissues of historical models. With the company stabilised and successful, perhaps it could now resume its life as a regular watch company, combining heritage with contemporary models.

We were standing amongst the 'archive' watches suspended on wires in the museum area, but Jorg seemed pleased with my observation, saying that it was his intention to produce contemporary Stowa watches, and that the first would soon be announced.

It makes perfect sense to me. There's no future in just making things from the past.

I wonder if Jörg was taken aback by the resistance he ran into when he tried to modernize the brand by updating the logo and adding new models like the b2b and Rana. The TO1 and TO2 can be seen as somewhat direct extension of the historical pilot's watches. They are, after all, based on a design standard much as the original pilots watches were.

In that vein, I think the reintroduction of Schauer watches under the Schauer for Stowa helps ease the transition to "modern" Stowa watches.

People had become so accustomed to the historical designs, and Stowa itself even seemed to go out of its way to tie in any models to models of the past. When the 1938 Chronograph was introduced, Jörg even seemed apologetic in his description of the watch by admitting that it was not a true homage to an earlier model but rather what he thought would have been consistent with earlier models that were released. I always found this odd because the 1938 Chronograph is one of the loveliest Stowa models and I never felt it needed any excuses to exist.

[Der Amf]

I'm trying to think - are there companies with two logos saying the same thing operating atm? I know that Tag are producing watches saying just Heuer. But I think I've seen one company using two different styles of logo with exactly the same name on different styles of watch. Can't remember it now.

Using the two logos he now has he could use one on the straightforwardly heritage models, the other on the forward-looking models rooted in Stowa's past, with the Schauer label continuing solely on his original creations.

[FuzzyB]

I'm trying to think - are there companies with two logos saying the same thing operating atm? I know that Tag are producing watches saying just Heuer. But I think I've seen one company using two different styles of logo with exactly the same name on different styles of watch. Can't remember it now.

Using the two logos he now has he could use one on the straightforwardly heritage models, the other on the forward-looking models rooted in Stowa's past, with the Schauer label continuing solely on his original creations.

The idea of using both logos was proposed on the other forum but Jörg made it clear he wanted to use the new logo across the board to move things forward for the entire brand.

There are a few brands I can think of that have used an alternative logo for one or two watches but those seem to be one-offs rather than co-marketed brands.

Ebel



Now that I'm looking for the example I was thinking of, Tissot is using different logos for different lines.

Visodate



Tissot with T logo



Tissot with 1853



And I couldn't even find the one with the font I was looking for.

Edit: It turns out my subconscious was better at finding a good example. I finally remembered that it was Eterna that had used an older version of their font recently, similar to the Ebel above. It seems to be an isolated even in comparison to Tissot, which uses both logos on several watches.

[FuzzyB]

I just double checked the Stowa website to confirm something. When Jörg announced the change a few years ago, he said that the change would apply throughout the model range as their stocks of old dials were depleted. It was supposed to take about a year or so.

What is interesting is the cream-dialed 1938 Chronograph just returned to the lineup after a lengthy absence. The reason? Lack of dials. The new dials, however, still use the old logo. Is this a sign that Jörg may be reconsidering the use of the old logo in conjunction with the new? Or is it simply because the new logo cannot be reliably produced using the embossing technique by which those dials are made?

[Der Amf]

[Henry Krinkle]

I just double checked the Stowa website to confirm something. When Jörg announced the change a few years ago, he said that the change would apply throughout the model range as their stocks of old dials were depleted. It was supposed to take about a year or so.

What is interesting is the cream-dialed 1938 Chronograph just returned to the lineup after a lengthy absence. The reason? Lack of dials. The new dials, however, still use the old logo. Is this a sign that Jörg may be reconsidering the use of the old logo in conjunction with the new? Or is it simply because the new logo cannot be reliably produced using the embossing technique by which those dials are made?

Go back and check the black ks. that dial is printed.

[tribe125]

Or is it simply because the new logo cannot be reliably produced using the embossing technique by which those dials are made?

This, I would imagine, and the bother and expense of re-tooling.

The logo issue was a forum storm in a forum teacup.





Having updated the branding of the whole company, Jorg was going to ride out any grumbling from conservative quarters. The dissenters were inconsequential, in the grander scheme of things, and the issue was unlikely to persist.

Watch enthusiasts can be almost regressive in their conservatism. They dislike the new thing until it's replaced by the next new thing, and then they like it because it's the old thing. Never pay too much attention to watch enthusiasts if you run a watch company.

[FuzzyB]

Go back and check the black ks. that dial is printed.

I think the black dialed KS is sold in such small numbers that it would take a while to deplete the stocks if they had them in any significant quantity. I'm surprised they didn't change that line over completely at once.

The Partitio is another low volume model that also has the older logo. Other than the 1938 Chrono, that is the only other model where I feel the new logo would look out of place.