Archimede Pilot 39H - First Impressions
My new pilot just touched down from Germany today. Some initial thoughts:
Customer experience: I ordered from Archimede direct. All emails were returned promptly. I received an order confirmation once I placed my order, and when the watch shipped from Pforzheim, I received notification that the watch was shipping. An invoice was emailed to me that same day. I received the watch a week and a half after I placed my order. Shipping was via FedEx and took three days to arrive in the US. Overall, excellent customer experience.
Packaging & presentation: The watch was packaged very well in a box full of peanuts. The manual and warranty is a tri-fold brochure which was sealed in an envelope along with a hard copy of my invoice. I went to open the inner watch box, but wait, what's that other small package there? Gummy bears from Germany of course! That was a nice touch and something different than chocolate or a watch magazine. The watch itself was stored on a pillow in an Archimede leather case which reminded me of a sunglasses case. Bubble wrap around the head and clear protective stickers on the face and back.
Dial, hands & markers: Upon opening the case, my eyes were immediately drawn to the clean, sterile dial of the 39H. "H" stands for historic, so there is no name and no date. The legibility of the dial is excellent through the flat sapphire crystal due to the simplistic layout - although there is considerable glare from some angles. (No AR). You can upgrade to a domed sapphire crystal with AR for an additional cost. The hands, markers and numbers appear bright white with no green tinge. The lume is bright after being charged for 45 seconds. The black dial is opaque and contrasts perfectly with the hands, markers and numbers. The markers on this dial are slightly bolder than other comparable fliegers such as STOWA or LACO. You will notice the hands on my model are black instead of blue. I preferred the black ones, and Archimede was kind to accommodate this request. It appears as though some members are not keen on the squared hands, and prefer pointed hands. This does not bother me and is hardly noticeable in person.
View attachment 1005178
Case, size & fitment: Archimede (founded in 2003) benefits from Ickler, a manufacture of cases for many years. Upon closer inspection, the stainless steel case with brushed finish is stunning. Beautiful design and the lines flow nicely from all angles. The case diameter is 39 mm and the thickness is 9.9 mm. Wrist fitment was a chief concern for me. With a lug to lug measurement of 46 mm, the watch, in my opinion, fits my 6.75 inch wrist perfectly with no lug overhang. The 39 mm case size is ideal. It's no coincidence that Archimede is able to offer pilot case sizes in 36, 39, 42 and 45 mm, as manufacturing is Icklers core competency. The 39H is water resistant to 50 M, and has a signed pilot's crown that's a pleasure to use. You can upgrade to a solid case-back for an additional cost. One thing I found interesting was that the writing on the case-back is not engraved, but rather is written onto the case.
View attachment 1005182
Accuracy: So far the watch is keeping time at +/- 0 seconds over a 12 hour period. The rest is TBD!
Movement: This pilot is powered by an automatic ETA 2824-2. Through the mineral crystal case-back you can see the undecorated insides. Besides the texture on the rotor, this is a very plain looking movement. You can upgrade to a signed rotor for an additional cost.
View attachment 1005188
Strap: Looks and feels nice with a single rivet in each side. What I expected for a band in this price range. There are better ones. There are worse ones. I swapped out the standard band for a DiModell Colorado.
Period correctness: The manufactures of the original flieger were Lange, Wempe, STOWA, LACO and IWC. The 39H lacks the heat blued hands (painted blue), beadblasted finish, solid case-back, (can be ordered) protruding lugs and flight engraving on the side of the case (can be ordered). During my research I learned that historical accuracy is more important to some than others. In a perfect world, this watch would have the option of thermal blued hands. In the end, this is a fine interpretation of the flieger in my eyes, and even though its specs are not "original," it hits the mark on everything else for me. Mostly because it fits so well.
View attachment 1005189
The competition: I considered STOWA, LACO, Steinhart, Damasko (more of a tool watch), Sinn, Steinhart, Tourby, Aristo and Bethge & Sohne. Competition in the $550-$850 range is pretty stiff in this category. The STOWA and LACO were very close runners up for me. I have owned two STOWAs before and you cannot argue with the fit, finish and what you get for the money. Lug to lug measurements were an issue for me, (too long, did not fit my wrist) so I parted with them. With STOWA, for a little more, you get heat blued hands, domed sapphire crystal a nicely decorated movement and the historical connection. With the LACO, for a little more, you get heat blued hands, solid case-back and arguably the closest interpretation to the original that exists in this price range. However, in the end, the Archimede I knew would fit me the best - and fitment was the main criteria for this purchase.
View attachment 1005194
Initial impressions, concluded: I have only spent 12 hours with my 39H, so I feel there is a lot that will be forthcoming. I can tell you that I like what I see so far. For the price, the Archimede is hard to beat with the Ickler in-house case and ETA movement being the "value added" for me. This is a no frills kind of piece which is quite basic in many aspects. But that is part of the appeal of the 39H. Sure you could spend a little more on one of the others and get one hell of a watch. For me, I am quite content with my new pilot from Germany - And I think Archimede does an excellent job overall as a company and also on this reincarnation of the flieger.
My new pilot just touched down from Germany today. Some initial thoughts:
Customer experience: I ordered from Archimede direct. All emails were returned promptly. I received an order confirmation once I placed my order, and when the watch shipped from Pforzheim, I received notification that the watch was shipping. An invoice was emailed to me that same day. I received the watch a week and a half after I placed my order. Shipping was via FedEx and took three days to arrive in the US. Overall, excellent customer experience.
Packaging & presentation: The watch was packaged very well in a box full of peanuts. The manual and warranty is a tri-fold brochure which was sealed in an envelope along with a hard copy of my invoice. I went to open the inner watch box, but wait, what's that other small package there? Gummy bears from Germany of course! That was a nice touch and something different than chocolate or a watch magazine. The watch itself was stored on a pillow in an Archimede leather case which reminded me of a sunglasses case. Bubble wrap around the head and clear protective stickers on the face and back.
Dial, hands & markers: Upon opening the case, my eyes were immediately drawn to the clean, sterile dial of the 39H. "H" stands for historic, so there is no name and no date. The legibility of the dial is excellent through the flat sapphire crystal due to the simplistic layout - although there is considerable glare from some angles. (No AR). You can upgrade to a domed sapphire crystal with AR for an additional cost. The hands, markers and numbers appear bright white with no green tinge. The lume is bright after being charged for 45 seconds. The black dial is opaque and contrasts perfectly with the hands, markers and numbers. The markers on this dial are slightly bolder than other comparable fliegers such as STOWA or LACO. You will notice the hands on my model are black instead of blue. I preferred the black ones, and Archimede was kind to accommodate this request. It appears as though some members are not keen on the squared hands, and prefer pointed hands. This does not bother me and is hardly noticeable in person.
View attachment 1005178
Case, size & fitment: Archimede (founded in 2003) benefits from Ickler, a manufacture of cases for many years. Upon closer inspection, the stainless steel case with brushed finish is stunning. Beautiful design and the lines flow nicely from all angles. The case diameter is 39 mm and the thickness is 9.9 mm. Wrist fitment was a chief concern for me. With a lug to lug measurement of 46 mm, the watch, in my opinion, fits my 6.75 inch wrist perfectly with no lug overhang. The 39 mm case size is ideal. It's no coincidence that Archimede is able to offer pilot case sizes in 36, 39, 42 and 45 mm, as manufacturing is Icklers core competency. The 39H is water resistant to 50 M, and has a signed pilot's crown that's a pleasure to use. You can upgrade to a solid case-back for an additional cost. One thing I found interesting was that the writing on the case-back is not engraved, but rather is written onto the case.
View attachment 1005182
Accuracy: So far the watch is keeping time at +/- 0 seconds over a 12 hour period. The rest is TBD!
Movement: This pilot is powered by an automatic ETA 2824-2. Through the mineral crystal case-back you can see the undecorated insides. Besides the texture on the rotor, this is a very plain looking movement. You can upgrade to a signed rotor for an additional cost.
View attachment 1005188
Strap: Looks and feels nice with a single rivet in each side. What I expected for a band in this price range. There are better ones. There are worse ones. I swapped out the standard band for a DiModell Colorado.
Period correctness: The manufactures of the original flieger were Lange, Wempe, STOWA, LACO and IWC. The 39H lacks the heat blued hands (painted blue), beadblasted finish, solid case-back, (can be ordered) protruding lugs and flight engraving on the side of the case (can be ordered). During my research I learned that historical accuracy is more important to some than others. In a perfect world, this watch would have the option of thermal blued hands. In the end, this is a fine interpretation of the flieger in my eyes, and even though its specs are not "original," it hits the mark on everything else for me. Mostly because it fits so well.
View attachment 1005189
The competition: I considered STOWA, LACO, Steinhart, Damasko (more of a tool watch), Sinn, Steinhart, Tourby, Aristo and Bethge & Sohne. Competition in the $550-$850 range is pretty stiff in this category. The STOWA and LACO were very close runners up for me. I have owned two STOWAs before and you cannot argue with the fit, finish and what you get for the money. Lug to lug measurements were an issue for me, (too long, did not fit my wrist) so I parted with them. With STOWA, for a little more, you get heat blued hands, domed sapphire crystal a nicely decorated movement and the historical connection. With the LACO, for a little more, you get heat blued hands, solid case-back and arguably the closest interpretation to the original that exists in this price range. However, in the end, the Archimede I knew would fit me the best - and fitment was the main criteria for this purchase.
View attachment 1005194
Initial impressions, concluded: I have only spent 12 hours with my 39H, so I feel there is a lot that will be forthcoming. I can tell you that I like what I see so far. For the price, the Archimede is hard to beat with the Ickler in-house case and ETA movement being the "value added" for me. This is a no frills kind of piece which is quite basic in many aspects. But that is part of the appeal of the 39H. Sure you could spend a little more on one of the others and get one hell of a watch. For me, I am quite content with my new pilot from Germany - And I think Archimede does an excellent job overall as a company and also on this reincarnation of the flieger.
