Reply With QuoteI would say the Stowa looks more obviously like a pilots watch than the Speedbird.
I am interested in peoples thoughts comparing the Stowa Airman (auto, no logo) with the Speedbird III. I will deliberately avoid posting pics of both watches because I think it will bias your responses, :wink: but I am interested in comments about: (i) the aesthetic, and (ii) the technical aspects of both watches. I am not intending it to be a showdown, I just find that I am often comparing the two myself.
Thanks and cheers,
-flugzeit
I would say the Stowa looks more obviously like a pilots watch than the Speedbird.
Yeah, or the Stowa looks more like a B-Uhr (i.e. old style pilot) while the SBIII looks more a like a modern pilot watch.Originally Posted by bonzo697
I would say that the Speedbird III is in a different technical category, what with extra antimagnetic protection (and perhaps a low-pressure-resistant crystal seating? I am not up-to-date on the specs.?).
Stowa has history on its side, and a very clean and classic dial. The watch only looks good on leather, IMHO, whereas the bracelet is a credible option for the SB.
Both are navigator watches rather than pilot watches, by the way.
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
Should be able to help in the morning, as missed the delivery of my Airman today, but will be round at Royal mail 1st thing to collect it.
With the limit of my limited knowledge being limited to dive watches, what's the difference?
Navigator watches were used in celestial navigation; their prime purpose, like a ship's chronometer, was to give the time as precisely as possible. Both the B-Uhren and the Mark 11 fall into this category.With the limit of my limited knowledge being limited to dive watches, what's the difference?
Pilot's watches frequently have a time-measuring device (bezel in the 1930s, and a chronograph thereafter) as their purpose is to make short-time measurements for flight maneouvers. They can be built for ruggedness rather than accuracy (at least that was the case in the 1930s).
Of course, there are all sorts of crossovers, but historically aviation watches fall into these two distinct categories IMHO.
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
I've owned both, and the Stowa has stayed. Simple reason is whilst it's not as rugged a watch (50m W/R instead of 100m, no A/R, anti-pressure crystal or A/M) it's a better finished watch IMHO. No slight to Eddie, I loved the SBIII and would to love one again, but the Stowa simply feels right.
If I were only to own one watch though I'd probably get the SBIII (But only an LE again as I don't like the idea of having a Standard Grade movement) as it's more versatile.
I wouldn't consider the current production SBIII against the basic Stowa due to the movement (Standard vs Elabore) and the Stowa would therefore win hands down.
In my opinion Standard and Elabore are apart from asthetics (decoration) very similar if not the same. Unless the elabore is ordered by ETA with non standard upgraded parts which customers can do. I don't know if this is the case with Stowa.
The standard 2824 can be timed to within a few seconds per day. In fact the gold plated white dialled version of the SBIII I used to own had 0,00 seconds deviation between the five positions after timing but thats very much luck too. More important to me is the magnetic protection that will preserve and guarantee the precision.
Is it the case that all grades are capable of being regulated to a very high degree of accuracy/consistency, but the higher grades have a varying degrees of better fit/finish/parts that allow them to maintain their accuracy better? Cheers, and thanks.In my opinion Standard and Elabore are apart from asthetics (decoration) very similar if not the same. Unless the elabore is ordered by ETA with non standard upgraded parts which customers can do. I don't know if this is the case with Stowa.
The standard 2824 can be timed to within a few seconds per day. In fact the gold plated white dialled version of the SBIII I used to own had 0,00 seconds deviation between the five positions after timing but thats very much luck too. More important to me is the magnetic protection that will preserve and guarantee the precision.
-Jim
The Standard and Elabore 2824 are manufactured to a precision of +- 20-30 seconds per day and are machine regulated in 3 Positions during the manufacturing process.
The Top grade is regulated in 4 positions during manufacturing and the upgraded parts should achieve -+ 10-15 seconds per day. ETA regulates them all to go fast to make sure that the movement is not slow in any of the positions. This is why most 2824 watches are fast out of the box as the movements are dropped into the watch cases without further timing.
COSC grade 2824 are regulated to achieve COSC standards at an average daily rate of -4/+6 seconds per 24 hours.
Decorations are only for the visual pleasure and do not contribute to accuracy.
ETA customers can order their movements with many different types of upgrades, decorations and coatings as they please.
In reality the movements are more precise than the standard quoted by ETA and they can be adjusted and timed to within a few seconds per day but this is a time and labour intense process and time is money!
Another thing to consider is that a watch timed on a watchmakers bench might not run the same if it’s on the owners arm, shock, magnetism, gravity and amounts of movement all have an influence on how the watch will run in the end. An inactive person will have his watch running with the spring wound down while an active person will have the spring fully wound all the time. Therefore it is best to wait a few weeks and wear the watch every day to see how it runs before attempting to time it.
The SBIII is pretty damn good technically (and even more so the LE version), while the Stowa has the high attention to detail and some hands-on touches usually associated only with more expensive watches. Both watches are effectively 'homages', so how do they each fare in this regard?
-flugzeit
I'd say that the SBIII has to be a better homage, simply because it's closer in size to the watch it's a homage to (IWC). That said, the Stowa has the benefit of coming from the same company that made B-Uhrs and could be classed as being an evolution rather than a homage. I'd class the FO/AO as being the homage, strictly speaking. The readability of the Stowa is simply far better than the SBIII BTW and that makes it a watch that an observer/navigator would've used IMHO.
Interesting. I had been wondering about that. Also, and I know that many will disagree with me but I think the SBIII would be better with the date at 3 rather than 6. I know it looks balanced, but from the point of view of readability I prefer a number 6 (and actually I usually look for a date a 3, but thats just me).
Thanks for the information about movement manufacture and regulation, Dibetu.
Funny, bydandie, but I find my Airman not so easy to read. There are many things about it, and Stowa, I love, but that's not one. I guess that is why there are so many watches to choose from- so many personal differences among watch buyers!
-Jim
Personally, I find the Mark 11 dial the easiest to read.
I prefer the original non-serife font, though:
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
I can't agree with that observation. The SBIII (based on the Mark II spec) is specifically intended to be highly readable and error-free - that's why the hands are all different. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it makes it very difficult to mis-read at a glance.
There's some interesting background if you google - here's an example: http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/w...79/Mark.XI.htm
I must say, I didn't find that to be the case with the Stowa when I had it. The hour and minute hands are far more distinct from one another on the SBIII to my eyes, and I find it an easier dial to read quickly due to the emphasised cardinal points.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
As you say, it's the beauty of perception. If the hands were like the watch shown in Crusader's picture, I'd agreed that the SBIII would be more readable. Also I'm adding the readability in all conditions, it's pointless seeing the numbers on the SBIII at night if you can't see the hands!
I have had a Stowa Airman no logo and I still have a SBIII. Both are very well made watches but if I had to decide between the two it would be SBIII all the way. The fit and finish is very good and the magnetic protection, water resistance and bracelet make this more of an allrounder. The readability at night is good; good enough to read the time at a glance but its not a torch. The Stowa has a finer brushed satin finish and the saphire caseback, blued screws.... its the prettier, dressier watch if that is what you are looking for. For me the SBIII black dial is the perfect watch as far as perfect goes in a watch and of course that is a very personal opinion.
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