STOWA Antea Klassik 365 Automatic Watch Review - A taste of German Watchmaking and History

Today fellow watch enthusiasts we are going to take a look at a traditional german watchmaker by the name
of STOWA ( Schto-Va ). Stowa has been around a very long time and you might have seen their famous pilot flieger watches during the world war 2 era but this model dates way back to 1937. This was a time when watches were generally smaller, mechanical as a standard, and in my opinion had a bit more class and elegance.

History behind the Antea 365

Original 1937 Stowa Antea Bauhaus

​The Antea Klassik 365 has been produced by STOWA since 1937, and at that time the “Bauhaus” design was relatively a new concept. Bauhaus style watches are generally simple, clean, elegant, and very traditional in look and size. The original design has not changed much and stays true to form as you can reference to the picture above. The design of the dials came from Weber & Baral, a german dial factory located in Pforzheim. Popular german watchmaker A. Lange Sohne actually produced the first style back in 1937 not too far from Stowa’s production ( picture below ) using the same exact dial manufacturer. In 2004 Stowa CEO Jörg Schauer re introduced the Antea line to the public, and in 2015 he updated the model a bit with designer Hartmut Esslinger which appeared a bit more fresh and modern while still utilizing the original bauhaus font.

( Original Dials from Weber and Baral )

( A Gold Antea Model from Stowa 1930s )

Case

The 316L solid stainless steel polished case measures 36.5MM in diameter and and 9.2MM in height or thickness and certainly feels of quality upon first impressions. These dimensions are very traditional and certainly pay tribute to the older Antea models. Keep in mind the watch is also available in larger sizes as well. The lug to lug measures 18MM wide and features drilled lug holes which is a nice touch. This makes it a breeze to swap out straps daily if you love doing that as much as I do. In terms of finishing we get an almost mirror high polish finish which looks excellent and certainly no corners were cut on the finishing. This is a 3 piece case design containing the exhibition caseback, the case, and the bezel. This case is very circular in shape with longer thin lugs which help give the watch a bit of flare and substance and also it wears slightly bigger than a standard 36MM timepiece which is a good thing for me. The lug to lug distance comes in at a modest 45.6MM which wears more modern due to the long thin lugs. This watch can certainly be felt while the flat case rests beautifully on the wrist at a weight
of 52 Grams with the supplied cow leather strap. If you are afraid of getting the Antea wet while washing your hands or perhaps it starts to rain I would not be worried as it has a 50 Meter or 5 ATM water resistance rating. Although this certainly
is not a watch to submerge in the water or use for daily water activities. The pull/push crown is small
in size to match the case and is signed with the traditional STOWA logo.

​Dial

The Silver coated dial screams of pure class and elegance and almost appears an off white to the eye at a quick glance. A inner anti reflective coated sapphire crystal covers the dial. Bauhaus design and Stowa tradition are also exemplified wonderfully here with the thin black printed Stowa below 12:00 down to the thin numerals surrounding the dial and the markings as well. A date aperture matching the dial can be seen at the 6:00 position and is definitely legibile with the black numbers against the Silver coated bauhaus dial. One of the nice things about Stowa is they also use thin and long heat treated blue hands on this model which is a lengthy process and most often seen in luxury watchmaking.

Movement

The model I have contains a top end Swiss Made ETA 2824-2 automatic self-winding movement containing 25 jewels. I assume most of you are familiar with this reliable, easy to service, and fairly accurate movement. Stowa also adds their own custom made rotor and heat treated blue screws for a bit of visual excitement and luxury. You can expect around 42 hours of power reserve and +5 seconds a day which is certainly good enough for me. The movement is also visible through a sapphire exhibition caseback held on by screws with a high polish and technical specification engraved around.

Strap

Stowa’s ANTEA model came supplied with a genuine cow leather strap which is 18MM tapering down to
16MM. I definitely can smell the difference and feel the softness
of this cut when compared to say “Genuine Leather”. There is no need for a break-in period and it conforms straight out of the box. The strap is configured with a dual button butterfly clasp and a Signed yet Small and minimalist signed buckle. The underside is in an off white color with contract stitching and embossed “STOWA”.

Conclusion

While there are certainly other watchmakers in todays time producing Bauhaus style watches, Stowa is one with real history and root in the beginning of the Bauhaus era and I must give them credit for that. They never cease to amaze me with their beautiful watches whether it be a Klassik Flieger which I previously reviewed or this more minimalist Bauhaus ANTEA model. They do not cut corners and offer a good value for your money from what I have experienced so far. This exact model configured sells for 857.14 EURO direct from STOWA ( Link Below ) and in all honesty I believe this is a fair price for buying into a piece of German Watchmaking history. I hope you
​enjoyed this article and please do drop me a comment with your personal thoughts below.

Link Takes you to STOWA
Learn more about the ANTEA 365
https://bit.ly/2KkN5Fd