Stowa Starts Its Centenary Countdown With a 99-Piece Flieger Classic 40

Stowa turns 100 next year, and it's warming up for the celebration this year with a limited Flieger Classic 40 built for its 99th year, limited to 99 pieces. The Flieger Classic is Stowa's take on the Beobachtungsuhr Typ A pilot watches it made for the Luftwaffe in the 1940s. This edition doesn't reinvent anything. It strips the watch back to the original's bare dial and engraves the rotor, a subdued way to mark an anniversary.

The stainless steel case measures 40mm wide, 10.2mm thick, with a significant 48.6mm lug-to-lug, and is fully brushed, with a flat sapphire crystal on top and the "FL" engraving on the case. Water resistance is 50 meters, which is fine for a pilot watch since it's best to not dip into large bodies of water while flying.

The black dial uses the Model A layout: large Arabic numerals, a triangle with two dots at 12, and nothing else. This is the Flieger at its best. The hands are nickel-plated brass with a matte finish. Super-LumiNova C3 fills the numerals and hands.

Inside is the Sellita SW 200 in basic grade, an automatic beating at 4Hz, with a power reserve of around 38 hours. It's reliable and easy to service anywhere. The rotor is engraved with: "Flight to 100 | Limited Series | 1 out of 99." Strap options are a riveted pilot leather strap in brown or black, or a satin-finished steel bracelet, all at 20mm lug width.

The Stowa Flieger Classic 40 Flight to 100 is limited to 99 pieces and priced at €990 on leather or €1,200 on the bracelet. See more on the Stowa website.