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Stowa and/ versus IWC

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iwc stowa
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8.7K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  flyingpicasso  
#1 ·
I have recently been looking at IWC pilot watches, and I don’t understand what you get in addition to what you get for a Stowa. It seems that the IWC pilot watches at least have a movement which is “in House“ but there is quite a lot of discussion about whether that really counts or not. From what I can gather, it is made by another division of the Richemont group. And sounds very much like an ETA 2824 movement.
Anyway, most of the IWC pilot watches seem to have closed backs – I'm not against that I think that's good, but even then if they do decorate these movements – which many people say they do – then it makes no difference to what you get as you can't see the decoration.
Therefore, and this is a genuine question, why is an IWC pilot watch much much more expensive than a Stowa? Are the cases made that much better? They all use sapphire Crystal so that can't be much of an issue. There's not much in the dial so is it just that you are paying for the brand and the badge?
Stowa has a pretty good brand history as a manufacturer of pilot watches, but then I assume its brand is somehow pitched/or understood differently. It looks to me as though the Stowa Verus is modeled on the design lines of the IWC Mark series. What then are the key differences? Is IWC actually better to justify the price differential?
 
#3 ·
So, a Stowa Verus is currently €950 and an IWC Mark XX is €5700. With the Stowa you can choose date/no date and Automatic/handwriting as well as Logo/ no logo. I know you can also ask Stowa for additional customisation like a solid case back. The IWC comes as is.
To be fair, the IWC has a much longer power reserve and greater water resistance with a screw down crown - if you want that.
There are videos on YouTube of the guys at HODINKEE going on about how great the IWC pilot watches are... maybe there is a massive opportunity for the Stowa marketing team.
The only other factor then is the IWC has 'Swiss made' on it whilst the Stowa has 'made in Germany'. Not a problem for me and surely not a difference of €4500 for anyone.
 
D
#5 ·
IWC pays a lot of money on marketing. They have celebrities that they pay to endorse them etc. They spend a lot to build up their brand and they have watches in different stores around the world.

Stowa barely market their watches at all. Also they're direct to consumer and don't have their watches in stores everywhere and you don't see ads with Stowa all around the world.

=they can have a lower price

Quality wise they're basically same/same if you look at the "lower" priced IWC and Stowa is like 1/5 of the price.
 
#6 ·
I think I'm somewhat qualified to answer this, having owned both. As you would expect, the IWC is better. I hate to use the word "finishing," because it's such an ambiguous term customers use to justify paying extra, so I'll try to be a little more specific.

I've learned in this hobby that what you're paying for with expensive watches is the details. My MK XX, for example, has just the right amount of "extras" so that it's refined but still rugged. The case has just the right amount of polish encircling the bezel and likewise on the edges of the outside of the lugs. Next, in my opinion, the proportions of the dial, at least on the MK XX, are so pleasing to my eye. It has the perfect amount of open space; not too much nor too little.

Then there's the movement. Yes, it's a in-group movement, but that's better than ETA/Selitta, IMO. You're also getting 120 hours of power reserve compared to Stowa's 42? power reserve. It's water resistance is also 100 meters--much higher than Stowa's. Finally, it has a soft iron inner case, protecting it from magnetism. These features add up to a much more durable watch for everyday use.

HOWEVER, it is not 4x better than the Stowa as the price would suggest. It's just not. If the IWC is out of your price range, you are not missing a TON by going with the Stowa. It's like any other luxury product. Is an Audi A6 three times better than a Toyota Carolla? Of course not. You're paying for all the little upgrades and luxuries that do not equate to the price difference.

I've learned that watch enthusiasts, like us, are emotional when buying a new piece. None of these mechanical watches are practical. We buy them because we like the hobby. A quartz or Apple watch makes much more sense, but we don't base our decisions on practicality.

Anyway, I hope this helps you make your decision. The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with the Stowa. It was my first mechanical watch, and I will tell you that I was very satisfied.
 
#7 ·
#9 ·
Good points and there is something in the value factor of IWC - I agree with Colt1987 above, there is a definite refinement and that probably doesn't add up to a multiple of the Stowa price but I am not so sure about the Aliexpress fliegers. I have looked at them before I was surprised by the variety and range on offer. There is a lightly wonky ripoff of just about most tool and pilot watches that are generally around. For these watchmakers and manufacturers, copyright is just something for other people.

That is my issue with them, I think, they are just cheap copies and I suspect that there are cut corners just in the same way that you could say there are additions with the IWC. It might be irrational to want to have something with authenticity and admittedly, in name only (Laco, Stowa, IWC etc) since these brands have changed ownership many times and so on, but then mechanical watches are an irrational choice as outlined above.

For me personally, it has to feel right and the whole thing is about elegance and something that I am going to have on my wrist all day. Whilst the Aliexpress watches suit some, they don't do it for me. The Longines quartz Battle of Britain watch is a case in point. I think that the actual Longines one is bad enough with the fake aged spots, but this is really in bad taste. Therefore it comes down to staying with a proper watch house and its IWC or Stowa. Since I also only really like hand winders, it would have to be the Stowa I think.

All of that of that is subjective, uneven and probably inconsistent but that is the beauty of thinking about watches...
 
E
#10 ·
IWC is overall going to be more refined; the bracelets, cases (chamfers, transitions between brushed and polished), dial details, movement specs, decorations, and such. Their higher end watches are an even more totally separate market than Stowa.

Between Stowa and IWC fliegers, the main difference I personally care about is the factory bracelets. IWC also makes a really nice blue dial.

Brand prestige is also one of the biggest reasons (that I care little for). Regardless, Stowa still makes amazing watches in their price range. I'm actually drawn more to Stowa's watches than IWC.
 
D
#11 ·
I owned a Stowa Fliger. I had no real complaints. I had the black sterile dial as I wanted to keep it as tool and true as possible. But I agree with the comments above. I did sell it just two months ago after 15+ years of ownership. I just wasn't wearing it enough as my collection has grown and I found my particular model too thin which I know sounds crazy as most people sought out thin watches. But it was barely or under 10mm. I wanted something with more substance on my wrist. But comparing practical reasons between IWC and Stowa just won't yield any sound reasons to justify 5x the price when a cheap quartz or smart watch will be better than all functionally. But we view these as art and art speaks to everyone differently and value differently.
 
#15 ·
That’s the thing, you can’t get an IWC pilot hand winding watch. It’s funny that with all the extras, the case, the soft iron interior cage they don’t offer that option.

I know that plenty more like automatics than mechanical watches, but I have always vastly preferred to wind my watches.

Seems odd that a comparatively smaller company like Stowa can offer this and IWC can’t.

They have had lots of their own calibres in the past so it’s a shame/missed opportunity that they don’t relaunch one of those and then play the authenticity card. Unless of course, the marketing guys say there is no market for it. If that is the case, then that’s the real shame.
 
B
#16 ·
I had a Stowa Chrono and an IWC Big Pilot which were around 5 times more expensive. Its so massively different its hard to compare.
  • The IWC is way nicer, not sure if its 5 times nicer but it is much nicer. You can tell which one is more expensive just from a quick glance. Sold it as it was too large.
  • The Stowa was also stunning. I actually like its pedestrian design more compared to the IWC since I think its more true to the pilot watch spirit. But I grew bored of it after a while. The dial looked completely flat under the sun. Wish Stowa had a tad more interesting angles. Value wise, no comparison at all.
 
G
#17 ·
I love Stowa, but there really is no comparison. The IWC is next-level fit and finish and now with the in-house movement they have that cache as well. You definitely get a lot for your money with Stowa, and I will continue buying them for the value proposition, but IWC is where they are for a reason and these days nothing makes sense pricing-wise when you are looking at an IWC, Omega, Rolex, Panerai, etc. You do have to pay to play.
 
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